Annual art comp for mental health

THE 2020 Ballarat Mental Health Week Art Competition and Exhibition will be more accessible than ever before, moving online for the COVID era.

Any artist who has lived experience of mental health challenges, is a carer of a person with lived experience, or promotes good mental health awareness in their work is encouraged to enter up to four pieces of any form in the showcase.

Ballarat Mental Health Week Group chair, Paul Hartwood said this project is a way his team can have an impactful and creative community presence.

“We want to destigmatise mental health, raise awareness that it’s out there and bring people together around that topic,” he said.

“This is a really high-quality competition with very considered and very professional work, while providing a platform for people to share experiences, and that’s really important.”

Curated work will be presented from Monday, 5 October to Thursday, 5 November, to draw attention to Mental Health Week, with photos of each artist’s entry shared via socials and the website.

Entries close on Friday, 18 September, with winners announced on Friday, 9 October at a virtual prizegiving, which will also include a showcase of curated performing artists; anything from musicians to dancers, poets to storytellers, comedians to actors, ventriloquists to contortionists.

Visit bchc.org.au/bmhw-artcompetition to download criteria and an art competition entry form.

The Ballarat Mental Health Week Art Competition and Exhibition has been displayed at Ballarat Community Health in Lucas in the past, with a launch gathering.

This initiative, and the Ballarat Mental Health Week Group are supported by Centacare, VALiD, ACSO, the Mental Health Carers Circle Ballarat, Inspire Support, Ballarat Community Health, Ballarat Health Services, Wellways, Cafs, Mental Health Foundation Australia, Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-operative, Next Step Disability Services, West End Support Services and the City of Ballarat.