The inside] out Art Exhibition benefits the artists and the work of Compassionate Touch Network (CTN) DBA Breaking the Silence / New Mexico (BTSNM), a New Mexico based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes mental health literacy, advocacy and well-being for youth, teens and adults through education, personal stories, and the arts. Our primary focus is the public health challenge of mental illness, suicide, and associated stigma. 

 

All of our projects incorporate the power of sharing story, either through the written word, or the visual arts and focus on erasing stigma surrounding mental illness and suicide. We continue to expand the scope of our projects in Santa Fe and around the state of New Mexico. Our long-term goal is to create a community education and art center in Santa Fe. Grants, donations, fundraising, and dedicated volunteers support our three core programs.

 

• Minds Interrupted: Stories of Lives Affected by Mental Illness began in 2007. To date, there have been fifteen unique productions including eleven in New Mexico, with over 5,000 people attending. “Minds” is a combination of writing workshops, and community monologue presentations in professional theaters featuring seven community members—either someone with an illness or a family member.

• Breaking the Silence / New Mexico (BTS/NM) is an interactive curriculum presented in classrooms. It began in 2012 and confronts myths and stereotypes that reinforce the silence about mental illness and suicide. BTS/NM-trained adult and youth facilitators have presented to over 14,000 youth in middle and high school classrooms in Santa Fe, Española, Pojoaque, Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, Taos, Las Vegas, Socorro, Ruidoso, and Zuni Pueblo. Lessons include personal stories, interactive activities, and resources.

• inside] out Arts offers art classes for individuals living with mental illness, and showcases their art in our annual exhibition. inside] out Arts also includes PhotoVoice: Untold Minds, which was developed in 2014, is a groundbreaking approach to sharing photos and telling stories to change community perceptions of individuals living with mental illness.

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For more information:

www.breakingthesilencenm.org

Michele Herling, Executive Director

 m.herling@breakingthesilencenm.org