The Exhibition Alliance and The Community Consortium, an organization of
people with psychiatric histories and their allies, are pleased to offer a
newly created traveling exhibit ³The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from
a State Hospital Attic.²  This exhibit is available to book now.  TEA has
received dramatic levels of interest in the exhibit from community and
advocacy groups, and is seeking museums and galleries interested in this
wonderful opportunity to create museum/community partnerships utilizing this
compelling history exhibit.

 

In 1995, during the closure of the Willard Psychiatric Center in New York¹s
Finger Lakes region, several hundred suitcases filled with the personal
belongings of former patients were discovered.  The suitcases and their
contents bear witness to the rich, complex lives these people led before
they were committed to Willard ­ and speak to their aspirations,
accomplishments, and community connections, as well as to loss and
isolation.  From the clothing and personal objects left behind, we can gain
some understanding of who these people were before they disappeared behind
hospital walls.  The pictures and stories illustrate the ordinary lives
these people led: they raised families, had jobs, were educated and
traveled, fell in love, and faced misfortune.  For many, dealing with
hardships sealed their fate to a lifetime in a mental hospital.

 

³The Lives They Left Behind² was created to honor the memories of these
people and others like them who were removed from their communities and
institutionalized.  This exhibit provides insight into psychiatric
institutions in the early-mid 20th  century, and also raises some difficult
and compelling questions.

 

For more information about the exhibit, please visit the TEA website at
www.exhibitionalliance.org <http://www.exhibitionalliance.org/>  and click
on the ³Traveling Exhibitions² heading to download an informational packet.
To reserve exhibition dates or for more specific information about the
exhibit, call (315) 824-2510 ext. 224 or send an email Jo Halstead at
[log in to unmask] 

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).