"Fine Line" Detailed in Portraits

SAMHSA is currently hosting a traveling exhibit by photographer Michael Nye, Fine Line: Mental Health/Mental Illness. The exhibit is a documentary of voices, stories, and portraits of individuals living with mental illness. Mr. Nye spent 4 years photographing and recording stories.

Speaking at the SAMHSA opening of his exhibit, Mr. Nye said, "I don't know where mental health ends and mental illness begins. This exhibit is about the fine line that moves through all of our lives as we weave our ways."

Observing that people often focus on the "dichotomy" between people with mental illness and those not diagnosed with it, Mr. Nye emphasized the "commonality" among people. "Mental illness is often about fear," he said, "fear of ourselves and fear of others. I ask each person coming into the gallery to listen carefully. Throw away your old definitions of mental illness and start over. Listen to each story as if it could be you or your child or your friend or some stranger you will meet tomorrow."

Mr. Nye has pursued photographic projects throughout the world in places such as Siberia, Iraq, China, and Labrador, and he has had more than 30 one-person exhibits in museums and universities around the country. Fine Line is on display at SAMHSA until February 15.

To view the exhibit, contact Carlton Speight by phone at (240) 276-1949 or by email at carlton.speight@samhsa.hhs.gov. For more information about Michael Nye's photos, visit http://MichaelNye.org.

Back to Top

Back to Graphic Version