‘Mindful’ Crowd Gathers in Gallery

A large and attentive crowd turned out Thursday evening for a special lecture and reception held in conjunction with “Mindful: Exploring Mental Health Through Art,” the first exhibition of The Gallery at Penn College’s 2018-19 season. Guests gathered in the Madigan Library’s second-floor reading loft to listen to a deeply personal 45-minute talk and visual presentation by “Mindful” artist Meredith Grimsley, a professor of fabric design at Bloomsburg University. The gallery, on the third floor of the library, was active from 5 to 7:30 p.m. with conversation and art exploration. Organized by the Society of Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, “Mindful” will run through Oct. 11. The exhibition also features educational outreach efforts, including workshops as well as daylong events for veterans and high school students. Special exhibit hours are: 1-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, 2-7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesdays, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays. The gallery is closed Mondays and on Sept. 1-2.

– Photos by Cindy Davis Meixel, writer/photo editor

 

 

 

Several individuals gathered in the library’s second-floor reading loft to listen to Grimsley’s presentation.

“Mindful” is on exhibit in The Gallery at Penn College through Oct. 11.

A guest contemplates Grimsley’s fabric works detailing the genetic ties that bind and the endurance of the human spirit.

Words on the wall silently speak to visitors: “This quiet space is here for you … take time to Be Mindful.”

Windows into the mental health and creative process

A stunning display of healing, titled “In Flight,” by Lyn Godley

The restorative light of art

Students, visiting the exhibit for a class, review their notes. A table set with decorated porcelain plates – a work titled “Consumption” by Ian Thomas – is in the foreground.

Visitors view a mixed-media journal titled “Depression” by Joan Iversen Goswell.

Reaching for the keys to mental health is a young girl in Rose Clancy’s piece, “All for Naught, Forget Me Not.” The work explores the topic from the perspective of a child whose parent has an untreated mental illness.