New York, NY (PRWEB) May 15, 2015
ICL today announced the premiere of its tenth annual Brooklyn Museum art exhibit, Unwrapped: Revelations Through Art, on showcase from May 7th through May 17th.
The new exhibit displays artwork from artists living in ICL supported housing in the form of sculpture, photography, and painting. Their work is inspired by Judith Scott, a visual artist who lived with Down Syndrome and profound deafness from birth, was empowered by her involvement in the visual arts and became well known for her fiber sculptures, and Kehinde Wiley, a New York-based portrait painter known for powerful paintings of young African Americans in theatrical poses. Their artwork reflects how they perceive themselves and how one presents oneself to the world.
Unwrapped: Revelations Through Art
WHEN Exhibition: May 7 – 17, 2015
WHERE Brooklyn Museum Con Edison Education Gallery
200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY
Dylan Stanfield, ICL Arts Counselor, detailed the inspiring works of the two artists in a brief statement, “whether it is Wiley’s work creating images of people of color, or in Scots case, representing an opportunity for an artist from a more diverse perspective to find her voice and recognition, our world becomes much richer through their art exemplifying diversity.”
Themes explored in this exhibit by the ICL community members include how clothing is an extension of our expression, and how our posture and body language help tell our story. These works look to provide the audience with a heightened recognition of an often-underrepresented population (artists living in supported housing), and to add understanding of the richness and diversity of the human condition.
The ICL art exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum kicks off with a private evening reception on May 6th. Media are invited to reception and can RSVP to Charles Sanchez at (212) 385-3030 ext. 15005 or CSanchez(at)iclinc(dot)org.
BACKGROUND:
The Arts Enhancement Initiative collaboration between the Brooklyn Museum and ICL began fifteen years ago as a way to immerse ICL clients in their surrounding communities, as well as bring a unique art-related experience back into their residences. Throughout the year, ICL clients attend monthly trips to the Brooklyn Museum for guided tours focusing on specific themes inspired by the museum’s special exhibits and its permanent collection. This most recent exhibition is a testament to Brooklyn Museum’s community spirit and ICL’s commitment to quality of life issues and the ongoing efforts to of raise awareness to the needs of those with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD).
Changing perceptions is the central goal of the ICL Art Enhancement Initiative. With the doors open to museums and an educator to guide them, ICL residents have the chance to deepen their understanding of the world and themselves. In turn, through the Brooklyn Museum exhibition, the artists among them become that lens for other museum-goers, helping the community look beyond labels and see individuals with I/DD not as outsiders who need help, but as individuals who are capable of contributing something unique and valuable to the community and its culture.
About ICL
ICL is an award-winning not-for-profit human service agency that provides counseling, rehabilitation, housing and other support services for almost 10,000 adults and children diagnosed with serious mental illness, substance abuse, or intellectual or developmental disabilities in New York City and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. For nearly 30 years, ICL has been at the forefront of innovative approaches to mental health care, creating some of the first residential programs in the country for people who are homeless with co-occurring serious mental illness or addiction disorders. Today, ICL continues to expand services to underserved populations by devising new approaches using the latest research, conducting ongoing quality reviews of the delivery and impact of services, and revising strategies to offer more effective and cost-efficient care. For more information, visit http://www.ICLinc.org and connect with ICL on Twitter and Facebook.
Brooklyn Museum is one of the largest art museums in the United States with a comprehensive collection ranging from pre-history to the present. Its holdings include objects ranging from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary art and represent almost every culture. Only a 30-minute subway ride from midtown Manhattan, with its own subway station, the Museum is part of a complex of nineteenth-century parks and gardens that also includes Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and the Prospect Park Zoo. For museum hours and directions visit, BrooklynMuseum.org
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