Fountain Gallery Concludes 'Eye Of The Mind' April 14

Fountain Gallery, located at 702 Ninth Avenue at 48th Street and representing artists living and working with mental illness, will conclude Eye of the Mind: Contemporary Photography by Emerging and Established Artists on April 14. The viewing, curated by Sue Stoffel, began March 3.

"The aim of this exhibition is to ask the viewer to re-examine the creative process and mental illness," said Stoffel, an art historian and museum specialist. A former trustee of the Brooklyn Museum and of Creative Time, a program that promotes art in public space, she works with numerous museum education departments in the New York area and raises new resources for inter-museum education collaborations. Continued Stoffel, "Can and how does mental illness define the creative process? If we know beforehand that this is work by people with mental illness, does that change how we look at it? What happens if we mix in works by well-known photographers?" Concluded Stoffel, "In pairing the work of Fountain Gallery artists with that of established photographers of the 20th century, the viewer is asked to ‘see with artists' eyes'; thus the title: Eye of the Mind."

Six Fountain Gallery member-artists whose work is defined by the use of a camera will be paired with established artists including Weegee, Lee Friedlander, Morton Bartlett, Richard Shaver, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, and Hans Bellmer. This pairing reflects the curator's wish to juxtapose similar visual images, so that the viewer sees what the artists saw as they focused their cameras. Reflection, urban grit, and solitude are all revealed."

Eye of the Mind will be included on the VIP circuit of events during the Armory Art Fair on the Piers, March 4-7, 2010. Fountain Gallery is a 5-minute walk from the Piers.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and by generous support from The Jarvis and Constance Doctorow Family Foundation and The Renate, Hans and Maria
Hofmann Trust.

About Fountain Gallery

Fountain Gallery is the premier venue in New York City representing artists with mental illness. Founded in 2000 as a not-for-profit cooperative, the Gallery exhibits work by a core group of Fountain House members and collaborates with a wide network of artists, curators, and cultural institutions, providing a platform for exchange and public dialogue. Embracing artists who are both emerging and established, trained and self-taught, Fountain Gallery cultivates artistic growth and makes a vital contribution to the New York arts community.

Artworks by Gallery artists may be viewed at: www.fountaingallerynyc.com.
For further information about Fountain House: www.fountainhouse.org.

Fountain Gallery
702 Ninth Avenue at 48th Street
NYC 10019
212.262.2756
Hours: Tues.-Sat. 11-7; Sun. 1-5
More than a gallery. A movement.