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29
journal of public mental health
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Key words:
Contemporary art;
artist;
identity;
mental illness;
recovery;
culture;
outsider artist;
aesthetic;
professional
development
fully; there is always the possibility of a return. This
may compromise their sociability, their confidence,
their emotional control and their ability to retain
employment and friends. Many people living with
mental health issues never find the confidence
to fully integrate with mainstream society again;
changes in services to support the social needs of
people who are experiencing isolation, depression
and lack of confidence after mental illness are
becoming more common in the community than in
hospitals (Hickie & Groom, 2002). These services
may offer help to return to employment, develop
new skills and interests and generally aim to move
the individual towards integration. Popular among
these are arts projects – both within the hospital and
in community settings; art is said to be therapeutic
in itself, to sustain and develop insight by the artist
into their own problems. Those who are ‘good at art’
may find that their creativity is enhanced, and that
arts participation fosters social inclusion in a way
that other programmes do not (Thiele & Marsden,
2003). Many people with enduring mental health
W
h e n p e o p l e h a v e b e e n
hospitalised with a mental
illness, it changes their lives.
Recovery is a nebulous and
elusive concept involving
new configurations of important aspects of hope,
personal identity, relationship to society, culture
and peer group of the person (Repper & Perkins,
2003). Recovery from the mental illness itself is an
extremely social process that involves being with
others and reconnecting with the world (MacKay,
2005). Additionally, it is generally seen as a
continuum (Ralph & Corrigan, 2005) and is often
conceptualised as ‘distance travelled’ (Secker et al,
1999); some people may need regular support and
medication to cope with life, some may be left with
symptoms, but need support at special times, some
simply feel better able to cope with symptoms, and
some may be left with no symptoms at all, but that
does not mean that they may necessarily take up
their lives where they left off. For many, their illness
is not a temporary state from which they can recover
RESEARCH
Karleen Gwinner
PhD candidate, Social Work
and Human Services, Faculty
of Health, Queensland
University of Technology,
Brisbane Australia
Marie Knox
Senior Lecturer, Social Work
and Human Services, Faculty
of Health, Queensland
University of Technology,
Brisbane Australia
Sue Hacking
Senior Research Fellow in
Evidence-Based Practice,
University of Central
Lancashire
Correspondence to:
Karleen Gwinner
PhD candidate, Social Work
and Human Services, Faculty
of Health,
Queensland University
of Technology, Brisbane
Australia
Victoria Road, Kelvin Grove,
4059
Email: karleen@acenet.net.au
Arts participation fosters social inclusion in a way that other social and recovery programmes
do not. The professional role of an artist is an appealing and socially valid role in the community.
For many people with a mental illness, arts-based programmes become a catalyst to resume and
or pursue their art practice more seriously. The focus of this paper is to uncover the complex
boundaries that exist for artists who have mental health needs in contemporary culture, and
to review these artists’ perceptions of their opportunities to create a place for their creative
expression to emerge in its own right, and not on the basis of their illness. We also comment on
the specific issue of public perception of the ‘outsider artist’ and refer in parts to the apparent
question of how such art is perceived and treated. This paper refers specifically to the experiences
of eight visual artists with a mental illness living in Queensland, Australia, who contributed to an
exhibition titled Artist Citizen as part of a participatory action research. The topics of discussion by
the eight artists explore familiar themes to mental health: stigma, exclusion and the integration of
identity within limited membership groups. This paper details the expressed concerns of the artists
around the value and connection of their creative output. It should be relevant and of interest to
mental health service personnel for insight into integration and recovery for people with mental
health needs into mainstream social and cultural environments.
The place for a contemporary
artist with a mental illness
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and assisting arts practitioners to work for health
outcomes. We also comment on the specific issue of
public perception of the ‘outsider artist’ and refer in
parts to the obvious issue of how their art is perceived
and treated.
Method
The authors used a mixed-method approach to
collect the data that was partly ethnographic, partly
phenomenological and partly participatory action
research. This article uses interpretive discussion,
developed from close interaction amid practice,
theory and social change. Much of the challenge
of the analysis was in understanding the underlying
assumptions to which the comments and discussion
with the artists referred. Understanding was gained
through a cycle of going back-and-forth between
data collection and data analysis to deepen and
enrich the presented knowledge. A certain amount
of background was necessary to understand the
sometimes-ambiguous comments in context. This
was only possible through sustained involvement in
the project by the first author. A crucial element in
the interpretative discussion was the inclusion of the
first author’s lived experience and her values as an
artist. The use of this combination of strategies has
provided a unique insight into how the individual
artists explain and understand their actions in specific
situations, how these understandings might be related
to the historical, cultural and social contexts of their
aesthetic experiences, and also how critical reflection
by the artists and the authors might engage social
transformation.
Eight artists worked over a 12-month period to
develop their artwork and curate an exhibition of
their art investigating the theme ‘Diagnosed Artist’.
For the phenomenological part of the research, each
artist was interviewed three times by the lead author in
the course of the project in order to obtain an ongoing
testimony of their own perspective on mental illness
and art, as well as their developing reflections of their
own identity as artists. The exhibition titled Artist
Citizen, was the key activity around the participatory
action research. The resulting exhibition was the end
of a process of communication, collective discourse
and insightful development of the themes identified
by each individual artist through the making of the
artwork by the eight artists, who communicated their
own understanding and learning of the broader sphere
of social and cultural reflection on art and mental
illness through the finished pieces.
This practice-based creative development of
research, with the motivation of an exhibition
celebrating their arts practice, has been a healthy and
problems have found that they have ‘talent’ in the
arts, and develop a fulfilling occupation that engages
them emotionally in creative expression. Some
individuals might, of course, have engaged in arts
practice before their mental illness. For these people,
the health setting has been a catalyst for them to
resume and pursue their art practice more seriously.
The professional role of artist is an appealing and
socially valid role; people admire artists for their skill
and lifestyle and are tolerant of eccentricities that
would perhaps compromise participation in paid
employment. Artists with mental illness are usually
classified by the standards of mainstream arts industry
as ‘outsiders’. This classification usually refers to artists
who create raw emotional expression, which may
relate to their mental health issues but was originally
coined by Cardinal (1972) for artists outside the
mainstream of the art world, that is, indifferent to,
or ignorant of it. Artists with mental health issues
have to navigate a range of medical and aesthetic
boundaries that impact on their acceptance in the
usual places and spaces that define a cultural context
(White, 2005; Maclagan, 1999; Fol, 2007) and are
highly likely to find it difficult to move outside that
category if their mental health issues are known, even
when their art itself is not a product or a referent
to their mental state. Thus, an artist with a mental
illness is inhibited from moving away from the health
context into the wider art community.
Artists with mental health needs have often
absorbed many of the myths and judgements that
surround art and mental illness. The focus of this
paper is to uncover the complex boundaries that
exist for artists who have mental health needs in
contemporary culture, and to review the artists’
perceptions of their opportunities to create a place
for their creative expression to emerge in its own
right, and not on the basis of their illness. This
paper refers specifically to the experiences of eight
visual artists with experience of mental illness
living in Queensland, but it may be relevant for the
broader sphere of integration of people with mental
health issues into mainstream social and cultural
environments from limited membership groups. This
is particularly timely in both the UK and Australia
because recently both countries are developing
policies towards encouraging people with existing
mental illness to return to employment (Department
of Work and Pensions, 2007; Department of
Education, Employment and Workplace Relations,
2008). Additionally in Australia, The Australia
Council for the Arts is piloting an Arts in Health
Strategy, which is seeking to incorporate the arts into
health and well-being programmes, while supporting
The place for a contemporary artist with a mental illness
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The researchers
The lead author is a doctoral candidate at the
Queensland University of Technology and was the
active researcher in this project, supervised by the
second author and the third author contributed
to the theoretical, discursive and international
perspective.
The artists
The eight artists live in Queensland, Australia.
All the artists have been diagnosed with a mental
illness and have experience of Queensland mental
health services. Each lives independently with
varying levels of support for their mental health. A
feature of this research is that it is not concerned
with diagnostic or treatment pathology; rather it
aims to highlight and evaluate social interaction,
creative activities, identity formation and notions
of recovery within the capacity of living with
mental illness. As such, focus has been on the
general aspects of mental illness rather than on
the individual diagnosis of each artist. Diagnoses
are only mentioned in this paper if it is directly
related to the discussion with the artists. They all
self-identify as artists, four had formal arts training,
but they all share the common experience of being
involved in art programmes in either health or
art therapy workshops at some point during their
illness. Purposive sampling was used to invite the
artists to participate. The Schizophrenia Fellowship
of Queensland assisted in this process by sending
a written invitation to those artists who regularly
learning partnership. The artists and lead author have
been able to discuss sensitive issues, compare their
experiences – both in their social participation as a
member of the wider community and as a member of a
limited participation group – in the arts environment,
and in that small world of people who live with
mental health needs.
This article is a synthesis of a large interactive
project that has taken over four years, therefore not
all the findings can be compressed into it. Artists also
kept a visual diary to record their artistic experiences
in relation to the developing theme throughout the
project. Additionally, the lead author used participant
observation in social encounters and experiences,
such as planning meetings for the exhibition and in
the development of the artists’ visual diaries. The data
from these last two sources are not used in this paper
but are part of the ongoing research.
We include example quotations that show the
discussion around the topics, but this is not really a
qualitative article, in that the sum of quotations are
not presented as a demonstration of the analysis,
but rather as a statement that exemplifies the
understanding reached by consensus. Knowledge
is shared of the lived experiences reflecting the
perspective of those who undergo them, and as
reported in their own words (Bresler, 1995).
Ethical approval
The project was granted ethical approval through
the Queensland University of Technology Human
Research Ethics Committee in November, 2007.
The place for a contemporary artist with a mental illness
Table 1
Artist Image Experience Artist statement
Glenn Glen lives in a house that he shares with his two dogs. ‘My heart soars
Brady He was 42 at the time of the research and has struggled when I paint.’
with episodes of mental illness throughout his adult life.
Glen uses acrylics to paint; he left school at 16 and has
never studied art. He began painting in hospital after an
illness episode. He has exhibited extensively in South
East Queensland and Victoria, winning first prize for Gold
Coast Art Show 2006
Andy Andy, aged 39, lives independently. He was diagnosed ‘My work is emotive;
Coote with mental illness as a teenager and receives continued I try to convey a
health support in the community. Andy prefers to be sense of otherness,
considered as an illustrator, as his medium is pen and of alternative realities.’
ink on canvas. He has had some tertiary level tuition and
experience. Andy participates in Access Arts Outsider Art
Group. He has exhibited mostly in arts in health exhibitions
and was awarded Emerging Artists Award, in Expressions
Original Art Exhibition 2007.
continued...
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The place for a contemporary artist with a mental illness
Table 1 (continued)
Artist Image Experience Artist statement
Wayne Wayne is 48. He trained as a chef. He has had numerous ‘That bastard cat
Howie breakdowns since he was 30. Following a home invasion thinks he knows
he experienced a major breakdown, spending considerable everything.’
time in hospital and in recovery programmes. Wayne took
up painting, using acrylics and mixed media after an illness
episode in a recovery programme. He has exhibited in arts in
health exhibitions and is emerging into the gallery circuit in
Australia and America. He has been selected to attend the
Florence Biennale December 09.
Eliza Eliza is in her late 40s. She experiences extreme ‘Art is a blessing to
Leahy agoraphobia, which impacts on her social life as an adult. me in that it is both
She shares a flat with her partner. She is mostly self-taught therapy and a
working in many media including acrylics, watercolours, way to earn –
scratchboard and sculptural woodturning. Eliza has exhibited it makes me
in arts in health exhibitions and extensively on the internet. feel less useless.’
Her work is represented in collections throughout the world.
Travis Travis is in his late 30s, he has received several different ‘My life objective is to
Mitchell diagnoses from the age of two years onwards. Tertiary trained develop and sustain a
and experience in arts administration, Travis organised major rewarding career in
exhibition of outsider artists in 2008 in Brisbane and was the community cultural
awarded a RADF grant to develop a project in Beaudesert development sector,
Shire, Queensland. Travis works in many media including locally and globally
acrylic, sculptural and new media. His art was included in at all levels.’
the Australian Outsider Art Collection 2006–2007 at the Halle
Saint Pierre Museum.
Paul Paul is in his late 40s and lives in a boarding house in the city. ‘The world is here
Munro In his 20s, he was diagnosed with mental illness in Melbourne. and I am here as
He then returned to Brisbane. He took up painting as he a world within the world.
lived with art students at the time. Paul paints in acrylics and I watch the world
has had some tertiary training. He participates in Access Arts but I do not like the
Outsider Art Group, has exhibited mostly in arts in health world watching me.
exhibitions and has works represented in several hospital
collections. ’
Kathy Kathy is in her 40s. She lives independently on her own.
Oliver She has experienced mental illness for most of her adult life
and has been hospitalised on several occasions. Her interest
in art was rekindled as an adult when she attended a
workshop leading up to Schizophrenia Awareness Week in
2001. She has now been practising for almost a decade.
Painting in acrylics is her medium. Involved extensively ‘My art has emerged
the Mind In Art group, she has participated in public art from black and
projects. Recently she was selected to exhibit in the white to vibrantly
prestigious Redlands Contemporary Art Exhibition. - coloured pieces.’
Richelle Richelle is in her late 20s. Her first episode of mental illness ‘By opening up my
Spence occurred in her mid-20s. She began her art career after an very personal life
illness episode and participated in art and recovery and struggles to the
programmes. She undertook tertiary training in performance public, I aim to
art, and is now a live art performer. She utilises a variety of remind people about
media involving herself in community cultural development being human.’
projects in South East Queensland. She was awarded a
career development grant for a residency in Indonesia, 2008.
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distinction between the designation as an ‘outsider’
and their identity as an artist. The relevance of
these issues to a wider understanding of recovery
and social inclusion for the artist with a mental
illness is discussed.
Value and connection of the creative work
Art is widely understood to reflect expressions of
the self (Caruso, 2005). Having a mental illness
changes the perception of self (Davidson &
Strauss, 1992) and affects the judgements of others
(Johnstone, 2001). Thus, mental illness impacts on
identity and, it follows, expressions of that identity.
The artist who is known to have mental health
issues is widely expected to produce work that
expresses ‘madness’ (Maizels, 1996; Rothenberg,
1990). This theme appears in a variety of academic
and media publications seeking psychopathology in
artworks, even when an illness has been revealed
after the artist’s lifetime that was not evident at the
time (Hacking & Foreman, 2001). Thus, in both
the judgements of others and the artist themselves,
a mental illness is perceived to be linked with the
identity of the person as an artist, and is difficult
to override because of the positive connotation
of enhanced creativity. All the artists in this
study practised art intentionally during periods of
hospitalisation, or as part of a method of recovery
after an illness episode, so that part of their relation
and identification with art was as a therapeutic
activity. It is tempting to believe that people with
mental illness suddenly acquire a creative urge;
however, four of the eight artists contributing to
this research were already experienced artists prior
to the onset of illness. The eight artists in this
research expressed the complexities relating to the
values and connection with the expectations placed
on their art because it was linked with their mental
illness.
For example, through her participation with
this research, Eliza expressed concerns over her art
not being ‘socially relevant’ in the wider art world
context:
‘My art is “pretty” but I don’t feel socially relevant.
I’m good at making things look like things, even
putting them into a pleasing composition, but I’m
not sure that I’m [contemporary] competition
material.’
Eliza recognises that she makes competent art, but
also devalues it because it doesn’t fit the stereotype
of either contemporary art or because it overtly
expresses mental illness.
exhibited in their annual art exhibition. Eight artists
agreed to participate and indicated that their aim
in doing so was to challenge what they saw as the
institutionalised ideologies underpinning the roles,
relationships and understandings of art and mental
illness that they have come into contact with during
the course of their mental illness and artistic careers.
Following is a description of each artist.
The artists in this research have reviewed
the interpretations and see their participation in
this project as an opportunity to speak out. Each
has expressed a keen interest in their views and
artwork being acknowledged and identified by
their names as part of this research. Grinyer (2002)
delineates the importance and issues of balancing
the protection of research participants from
harm by hiding their identity, while preventing
‘loss of ownership’. She highlights the obligation
of social researchers to address the authority of
determination on an individual basis of the research
and with each participant. It was imperative
in this research to engage ethical measures and
strategies that allow participants to play an active
role in defining themselves and fostering a better
understanding of the construction of identity. The
participating artists’ did not want other identifiers
used with their descriptions. Analysis of the
potential consequences, the effects and perceptions
of others, informed the artists of the risks and
potential benefits of their choice for autonomy,
control and direction of their personal information.
They wanted to retain authorship of their accounts
and to have the right to approve or disapprove the
way that their accounts are used. This is consistent
with being considered collaborative researchers and
artists, and not just ‘subjects’ of research.
The interviews with the eight artists have
resulted in a lot of data, which has been resolved
into the following themes relevant to artists with
mental health issues:
s THERIGHTTOSELFDETERMINATIONANDPARTICIPATION
in arts
s CONCERNSAROUNDTHEVALUEANDCONNECTIONOF
their creative output
s AESTHETICJUDGMENTOFTHEIRARTWORK
s THEDISTINCTIONBETWEENTHEIRDESIGNATIONASAN
‘outsider’ and their identity as an artist
s PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENT
s CONTROLANDDISLOCATIONOFTHEILLNESSPERCEPTION
This paper, however, details the expressed concerns
of the artists on the second of these issues only
– namely the value, connection and aesthetic
judgment of their creative work, in relation to the
The place for a contemporary artist with a mental illness
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their artwork and its relationship with their illness,
as they define and construct their understanding
of identity and social belonging. As the artists
encounter a new artistic identity, they must deny
or challenge their own and the wider expectations
of society of the art of people with mental illness, in
order to move beyond their illness.
Travis, shares his effort to establish a position as
an artist and the expectations of his art production:
‘I put myself in a bracket, to compare myself, and
put myself at a level... I don’t think that’s humanly
possible... and it felt like having this big huge
hammer smashing down on me telling me how to do
my artwork.’
To reach his objective he struggles with the
difficulties of his illness and the expectations of his
role as an artist.
The artist as ‘outsider’
Despite an uneasy relationship with conventions
assumed to represent the outsider designation, the
term is accepted by the majority of the artists in
this research. The outsider artist label could be seen
as a convenient and quick identity that is already
established; used as a path towards the adoption of
an artist identity that has been shown to help many
people interested in focusing on their talents and
attributes rather than their disabilities (Hacking
et al, 2008). An individual is able to access a
recognised place, the focus on self-expression serves
to stabilise experiences of art and illness and help
individuals explore and communicate the meaning
of their experiences in a public arena. Wayne
comments: ‘I am an outsider, a typical outsider artist.
I have had no training; I’ve painted because of a mental
illness. Most of my painting is driven by mental illness.’
Belonging to an established convention, then,
probably contributes to security and a location
where an artist can work without contending
with the canon of the mainstream arts industry.
However, Moran (2002) argues that this location
ensures that the outsider is socially, economically
and psychologically excluded and is also associated
with aesthetic exclusion. Andy, an illustrator, feels
that his contribution to art and therefore his role of
artist, is dismissed because of his ‘outsider’ status. He
discusses his experience of aesthetic exclusion as a
matter of perception:
‘If your work is a little bit out there, which I feel
mine is, people say “Oh, yeah, that’s schizophrenic
art”... Where if you were, say, an artist like Brett
The art that sells at the schizophrenia [art] show is
the mental art and the art that we produce for the
schizophrenia [art] show, because we know it sells…
It is the art that the mental wards want to hang on
their walls because they think that this is the real art
done by mental health patients and it’s not.’
From Eliza’s statement, we can sense the ‘patient-
artist’ needing approval and feeling a duty to
connect with the culture of ‘mental art’. Why does
she produce ‘mental art’ if she is so disdainful of
it? She explains that it sells, and selling is a most
valued way to confirm the artist role. She feels
devalued by the stereotypical expectations of
clinical psychiatry but maintains a relationship with
clinical practice, even if she expresses cynicism in
that relationship. She is aware of the clinical-
audience assumption that the art object must relate
a sense of a psychological ordeal.
The understanding of themselves as artists
and their art as of value thus vacillated between
acceptance in the outside world and connection
to the relationship with the internal and the social
spaces of health settings. However, the values
that define what is ‘sellable’ or ‘good’ are seen
as not aesthetic, but psychopathological. This
value and connection of the artists to a visual
psychopathology is something that might be
contrary to their own perceptions of their recovered
state, their own relationship with their work and
their understanding of their work as art that relates
not to ‘mental art’ but to the wider sphere. The
difficulty of resisting this direction should not be
underestimated.
Aesthetic judgment of the artwork
Live performance artist, Richelle, explains her
perception of an aesthetic style for the individual
with a mental illness:
‘People who suffer from a mental illness or have a
disability have a very distinct style... I mean yeah
there are the people who do the same old landscape
sort of stuff, but generally it’s the most stylistic
form.’
Richelle here recognises, and is critical of, a style of
art that she sees as epitomising mental illness. She
herself has taken a different course as a performance
artist. She perceives both a diminished sense of
value and a risk of being set aside from professional
opportunities as an artist with a mental illness. The
discussion moved towards how artists must deal
with their own and others’ recurrent scrutiny of
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The simplest form of inclusive action might be to
alter the designation of ‘outsider’ to a term with
fewer associations with alienation.
Discussion
The concept of the ‘outsider’ artist is, overall, a
positive one because there is a widely understood
historical narrative linking creativity and mental
illness (Hirasuna, 2003). If a person with a mental
illness also self-identifies as an artist, negative
judgements may be suspended or revoked. The
identification of an individual interested and
involved in art, as an artist, is therefore supported
and recognised as a significant recovery pathway by
mental health services, partly because it establishes
people in a community role that is positively
regarded, recognised, sustainable and socially
relevant (Barraket, 2005; Mills & Brown, 2004).
Participation in arts in health workshops, provided
by community-based organisations, has provided
an important forum for these artists and for their
artistic identity to emerge. The self-identification as
an ‘artist’ has emerged for each artist in conjunction
with their illness as a positive sense of self, as
a potential source of control, in the sense that
Williams (2004) writes of the power to transform
people’s lives from a diagnosed illness-identity. In
the UK too, for the same reasons, art is increasingly
being seen as a pathway towards social inclusion
and integration into mainstream services for people
with mental health needs and other marginalised
groups (Hacking et al, 2006, 2009; Secker et al, 2007;
Social Exclusion Task Force, 2006). In that sense,
arts involvement through mental health could be
seen as supportive for those intending to remain
within the mental health parameters of a closed
interim group that relates but does not respond
to the mainstream. The supportive structure of a
healthcare setting is not removed and expression
that might be rejected aesthetically is still valued
as psychopathological. In the UK and Australia, a
proliferation of arts involvement for people with
mental health needs exists in community provision
(Hacking et al, 2006; Mills & Brown, 2004), largely,
it must be said, as a step towards involving people
in activity that moves them on towards more active
social and occupational participation. Nevertheless,
in Australia, at least, adequate resources for
sustainable and multifaceted programmes are still
a concern (Burgess et al, 2002; Clifford & Kaspari,
2003). If participants in these programmes are to
identify arts as an activity they would like to take
further, the same issues around bridging from
hospital to community and beyond, that will value
Whitely [one of the best-known Australian
painters of the 20th century], well then [they say]
“Oh well he’s just an artist out on the edge. He’s
living out on the razor’s edge that’s why he does such
extreme art.”.’
‘Outsider artist’ is a designation with a narrow
membership, one in which the aesthetic or artistic
aspect is not the most prominent. Public and
institutional perceptions of the art of mental illness
are rather harsh (McDonald, 2008).
Andy explained:
‘How we are perceived by the community is
either gifted savants or tortured, maniacal brush
wielders... I find that those generalisations don’t
really work for me.’
The designation of ‘outsider’, has come to relate
in practice to the relationship of the artists with
society. All the artists were successful, but success
does not necessarily follow the contemporary
model. However, two of the artists with arts training
at tertiary level who could be most expected to
resist being included in the designation, not only
described their artwork as contemporary, but
included themselves as outsiders; two here explain
their understanding of the term.
Andy maintains: ‘In so far as having a diagnosis
that would put me to the fringe of society to some
degree... I would consider that I would be some sort
of outsider artist.’
Paul expresses a similar view with his comment:
‘I’d say [I am] just an outsider artist trying to get by
like everyone else. I definitely feel that I am outside
the gallery sort of space. Whereas you know there
are not many spaces for outsider art in Queensland.’
Travis also considers himself as an ‘outsider’, not
because his art is not accepted as the prevailing
aesthetic, but because his art inevitably is seen as
relating to that part of his identity that is outside
society.
‘Where would I position myself now? Umm,
probably still as a raw, naïve, outsider artist. But I
would say that I am basically established.’
He explains, ‘You have different pathways you can
take to approach it.’
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help them to promote mental health. Further, the
institutions of culture can benefit from the unique
perspective of a group reflectively operating in the
community as recovered individuals. The topics of
discussion of the eight artists participating in this
research explore familiar themes to mental health:
in stigma, exclusion and the integration of identity
within limited membership groups. Artists might
be in a useful position to explore and develop such
conversations in novel ways, starting with their
own legitimisation and aspirations to be recognised
as artists and just artists. As Kathy maintains, ‘I
want to grow outside of this very narrow mental health
exhibition’.
As new legitimised identities arise for the
contemporary artist with a mental illness, the need
is not simply to provide greater visibility under
outdated categories, but rather to make visible
the processes that perpetuate marginalisation and
disempowerment.
References
Barraket J (2005) Putting people in the picture? The role of the arts in social
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and support an occupational designation as an artist
with a mental illness are lacking in both countries.
Richelle recognises this gap with her comment:
‘I guess somebody with a disability or who has a
mental illness that creates art... is not recognised
within the mainstream. And they find it hard to
break [through].’
In exploring the position of the artist with a mental
illness, this paper has sought to highlight the struggle
for self-determination as artists with a mental
illness in the prevailing culture. The designation of
‘outsider’, for a skilled practising artist, who expects
to contribute to mainstream art, could be obstructive
in the long term if their aim is to be accepted as artist
in broader contemporary art terms. The issue is not
only how these artists conceive of their own identities
and self-concepts, but also how they control the
regulations and how they are accepted into the
roles into which they identify external recognition
of the artist’s own identity, and importantly the
need to gainfully participate and access creative
communities outside of health setting are vital for
truthful narratives to emerge.
Conclusion
It is clear that these artists are discussing issues
of interest to mental health services in how an
integration of the illness identity is managed in
the broader community (Mills & Brown, 2004). In
fact, acceptance of their mental illness is perceived
to reinforce their exclusion from an aesthetic
role, thus inhibiting their full participation in
the wider contemporary cultural discourse. The
same comment was made by Ingleby (2006), who
explained the marginalising effect of psychiatric
labels. It is surprising that despite the ostensible
success of all of the artists in the project based
on the definition of professional artist (National
Association for the Visual Arts, 2009), the artists
are very conscious of aesthetic relegation and
draw on the term ‘outsider’ to describe their own
exploration of connectedness to an illness identity,
to which they have mixed feelings about belonging.
Although many of the artists in this group
identify with the term ‘outsider’, it provides a
poor fit with the aspirations of the artists in this
research. The assumption that the outsider artist
is apart from society, has nothing to contribute
and does not participate in mainstream culture
is clearly outdated. Today’s society must include
and value people with mental health issues as
participating members of the community, and
The place for a contemporary artist with a mental illness
37
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