abstracting friday
The name of our art group - abstracting friday - tells a big part of the story. We meet on Fridays and do (mostly) abstract art. The group began in 2008. The group's founder and leader is Dr. Arnon Ben-Yoseph. The group is open to mental health consumers at the Putnam Clinic of Rockland Psychiatric Center (RPC). Group members rarely have formal background in art. The goal of the group is to provide a socially engaging opportunity for individuals to create art that is attractive and intriguing.
Why abstract? (1) Well, why not? (2) Because abstract art is flexible and forgiving; it does not tell us if we are right or wrong, good or bad. Abstract art allows us to dare to do things more freely. We use a lot of mixed media art and day-to-day materials (e.g., duct tape, paper clips, cardboard, plastic forks) to make the art more relatable. Group members can work individually if that is their preference. However, most popular and, in fact, the highlight of our group, are the group projects.
The group projects are usually large scale (as large as 4' x 8'), each requiring several weeks or even months to complete. We usually work on 3 or 4 projects concurrently to make sure participants have options and to avoid burnout. When planning group projects, Arnon aspires for them to be as inclusive as possible. It is important that even the least skilled or least confident member would be able to contribute. Some project designs are intentionally dynamic; group members are encouraged to deviate from the original plan and to allow the art to evolve more spontaneously. We believe that the group projects that reflect our diversity, as artists and people, turn out to be most beautiful.
The group has been a huge success! It enjoys good attendance; there is a consistent core of members as well as occasional participants. The group creations decorate our clinic environment (inside and outside) and receive tremendous response from our community. The installations are not all conventional. Some of them may be hanging from the ceiling, rolling down the hallway, or even traveling on wheels. We have held a couple of exhibitions; we have also traveled with some of our art to present it in the community. The clinic takes great pride in our group. As impressive as the art creations may be, the ultimate accomplishment is definitely to empower mental health consumers through the gift of art and social support.
Photos of group projects are presented in this website. Participants are not credited by name due to patient confidentiality. The Putnam Clinic and Arnon in particular are grateful for the contribution of each and every one of them.
Thank you for your interest!