Ethel Nalule (pictured above) became interested in photography at the age of seven. Since then, the psychiatry researcher has used her photography to document her life's journey, including her difficult battle with the effects of Lyme disease.
Three of her powerful black-and-white self-portraits are among the pieces on display in “Mindful: Exploring Mental Health Through Art,” a new exhibit of work submitted by members of the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) community. One. A call to art. The free exhibit, sponsored by the Program for the Arts in Public Spaces (PAPS), opened on March 21 outside the Medical Library on the first floor of Sterling Hall of Medicine.
YSM medical students, PA students, postdocs, researchers, faculty, and staff submitted paintings, drawings, and photographs documenting vivid personal explorations of mental health in their own lives. Ms. Nallur's self-portrait includes a photo titled “Daily Amnesia,” with a picture on her head to symbolize her struggle with short-term memory as she battled Lyme disease. It depicts her holding a goldfish bowl. Another photo, “Stigma,'' shows Nallur wrapped in plastic, alluding to the fact that she felt suffocated by her illness.
In response to the call for artwork, 42 people submitted a total of 85 works. Of those, 35 works from 25 artists were selected for display, according to PAPS Coordinator Terry Dagradi.
“The diversity and breadth of submissions was heartwarming,” said Darin Lattimore, MD, and Anna Reisman, MD, YSM associate dean and chief diversity officer and co-chairs of PAPS. In addition to humanizing mental health and destigmatizing it, Lattimore said the exhibit also helps bring the community together.
“It gives community members a reason to come to this space just to see the art and read the stories and think about it,” Lattimore said. “I think it’s really important to have initiatives like this to help engage with the community.”
Among the works in the “Mindful'' exhibit are two graphite paintings by psychiatry lab manager Jared King. One of the images, titled “Affliction,'' depicts a man looking up and appearing to scream, his face contorted in pain. According to the story that accompanies the painting, the painting is a self-portrait that “reflects my past struggles with homelessness and anxiety, and the impact they have on my life today.” Another painting, “Dysmorphophobia,” is a portrait of Dr. King's wife and “reflects her lifelong struggle with body dysmorphia and anxiety.”
Another powerful piece of art, Healing Garden, is an oil painting by Leanne Philpotts, professor of radiology and biomedical imaging. A mastectomy and breast reconstruction patient is pictured with a garden-themed tattoo on her torso. According to the story that accompanies the painting, the painting's title “pays homage to Smilow's Healing Garden, which provides patients with a haven for quiet contemplation in nature.”
Other works include “Rage,” an acrylic painting by medical student Nancy Park. This work depicts two faces against a chaotic red and black background to express the “raw intensity of anger.” One face “hints at the quietly simmering anger that often lurks beneath the surface,” while the other contorts into a scream, “an instinctive expression of pent-up anger.”
In addition to the “Mindful” exhibit, the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library is hosting a companion exhibit in the library's hallways and rotunda titled “Mindscapes: Stories of Mental Health through Yale Collections.” This exhibit explores the history of psychiatry and mental health through historic paintings, photographs, drawings, texts, and even old Rorschach tests from the library's collection. This exhibit was curated by Dr. Melissa Greif and Dr. Laura Phillips.
