PAST EVENTS

Here One Day – Film Screening and Community Discussion

Presented by JFilm and documentary filmmaker Kathy Leichter
Monday, February 22, 2016 | 7pm
Rodef Shalom Congregation, Levy Hall, 4905 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Documentary filmmaker, and former WQED Associate Producer for National Programming, Kathy Leichter is returning to Pittsburgh to screen her award-winning film Here One Day and lead a community discussion about mental health and suicide, reducing stigma, and how to connect with local mental health resources for support.

Winner of the Best Documentary Award at the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival, Here One Day tells the story of Leichter’s mother who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and died by suicide, and how her family survived—and came to thrive–in the aftermath. The documentary is visually arresting, emotionally candid, and ultimately a tale of relationships, love, life, pain and joy.

This Pittsburgh premiere of Here One Day is presented by JFilm and sponsored by The Fine Foundation with additional support provided by the Jewish Healthcare Foundation.

Tickets ($10 per person with scholarship tickets available) are on sale starting February 1st at filmpittsburgh.org. They will also be sold at the door for $12.

The Stomper Project

Presented by Sculpture Corner at Penn State University
Through Thursday, January 28, 2016
HUB Robeson Art Galleries, University Park, PA 16801

The Stomper Project is the result of a collaboration between the Jana Marie Foundation and artists Annalisa Baron, Chris Bittner, Mel Forkner-Lesher, and Mark Pilato. The Stomper Project is a community art project that engages community members, students, artists, and professionals in discussions of mental health issues in order to raise awareness about mental and emotional health. Life-sized sculptures called Stompers are fashioned out of used sneakers to symbolize the effort to stomp out the stigma surrounding mental health.

Often, the fear of discrimination for disclosing the possibility of a mental or emotional problem causes sufferers to feel shame and silently delay seeking treatment for their mental illness. By engaging local schools and organizations, the Jana Marie Foundation and their team of artists work with the various groups to help them capture and share their personal stories related to mental health and mental illness. For more information visit janamariefoundation.org.

Open Rehearsal

Presented by InterPlay Pittsburgh and Wing & A Prayers Pittsburgh Players
Thursday, January 21, 2016, 7 – 9PM
Wightman School 3rd Fl. Music Room, 5604 Solway Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217

The improvisational troupe, Wing & A Prayer Pittsburgh Players invites the larger community to an open rehearsal as they prepare for upcoming InterPlay performances and workshops inspired by the show Mindful. Using images from the show and Interplay forms of movement, music, song and story telling, company members will explore community attitudes and their own stories of people suffering from common brain disorders: depression, anxiety, psychosis, and dementia. Participants are free to join into the warm up exercises and try out sharing snippets of their own stories, or they are free to remain in the role of fair witnesses. People who attend two rehearsals may join the troupe’s performance/playshop at the Contemporary Craft Gallery March 5 from 3 to 5 pm. For more details call 817-706-4967 and visit the website www.interplay.com.

Opening of Stories Untold, A Student Mental Health Art Exhibit

Friday, October 9, 2015 | 4:30 – 6 PM
William Pitt Union, 3959 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Stories Untold: Where Creative Expression Meets Mental Health is a multimedia student art exhibit that aims to break the silence and stigma surrounding mental health on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh while providing an opportunity for students to share their stories.

Stories Untold: Where Creative Expression Meets Mental Health

Presented by University of Pittsburgh, Atlantic Coast Conference Fellows Program in Innovation & Creativity
Monday, October 19, 2015 | 10 AM – 5 PM
Conney M. Kimbo Gallery (M-49), William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, 3959 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Stories Untold is a multimedia student mental health art exhibition that breaks the silence and stigma surrounding mental illness on a college campus. Attendees will experience student perspectives with mental health conditions through visual art, writing, film, and music. The exhibition is open on weekdays until Friday, October 30. Learn more here.

The Journal of Repetitive Learning

Presented by the BoxHeart Gallery
Sunday, October 25, 2015 | 1 – 5 PM
4523 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Daria Sandburg’s exhibit, The Journal of Repetitive Learning, delineates the boundaries between art and the everyday. Her chosen objects, like tin cans, fabrics, and worn wood, come together to create contemporary interpretations of wunderkammer-esque environments that narrate the experiences of being human. Sandburg’s emphasis on messaging mirrors the language of our daily lives and personal stories. Exhibition runs from September 1st through October 30th.  Learn more here.

ReelAbilities Film Festival Screening of “Gabriel”

Presented by JFilm
Wednesday, October 28 | 7:00 PM
Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

The ReelAbilities Film Festival showcases films about the lives, stories, and artistic expressions of people with different disabilities. “Gabriel” follows the story a vulnerable and confused teenager longing for stability and happiness amidst an ongoing struggle with mental illness. Screening will be followed by a conversation with director Lou Howe. For more info visit filmpittsburgh.org.