A Common Humanity
(A guest post by Malaina Poore, Executive Assistant at VOCAL Virginia and March’s exhibit coordinator at the WVTF and Radio IQ Studio Gallery.)
New City Arts seeks, in part, to bring about a more whole and beautiful world by creatively “re-humanizing” ways of life in our everyday world. Tell us a little bit about VOCAL and how it intersects with this aim.
VOCAL works to ensure a humane and effective mental health care system and inclusion in communities. Everyone who works at VOCAL (and most of our 1100 members) has lived psychiatric experience, so it isn’t just theory, its personal. We strive to help others tell their stories, take roles of leadership and challenge stigma by being themselves – cool, creative, interesting and worthwhile.
People who have a psychiatric diagnosis do not want to be known by their diagnosis. We want people to walk away with the realization that we are more alike than different. If you look at the Firewalkers book or exhibit that is a very common outcome. The stories the women in Firewalkers tell are more extreme than most people will experience, but it is very easy to relate to. When you look into the faces in the photographs it does not feel like you are looking at “the other.”
With The Firewalkers Project, more than anything, we want people to know that there is hope. And perhaps what our society labels as “mental illness” can be a sacred quest that has the power to enrich us, reveal unknown strengths, and transform our lives.
New City Arts is giving us a chance to exhibit in a totally new arena. We have gotten most of our attention from mental health peers and professionals. We are grateful and excited to be on the walls of WVTF in the company of great artists!
VOCAL would like to thank the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation and BAMA works for making this project possible.