’Looking to the Light’ Exhibition of Art

An exciting exhibition of contemporary art exploring mental health care has been launched at Glenside Hospital Museum, Bristol.  It is one of three ground-breaking new exhibitions across the UK inspired by remarkable collections relating to mental health.

In Bristol, the national arts charity Outside In recruited ten talented artists to take part in a series of courses to interrogate the psychiatric hospital collection at Glenside Hospital Museum. 

Many aspects of the Museum and its history - from a padded room to use of mosquitoes on treatments - caught the imaginations of Jackie Bennett, Steve Burden, Steven Edgar, George Harding, Jasmine Janiurek, Anna Rathbone, Ally Schooler, Alison Willis, Natasha Harrison and Damien Moran. 

 “The theme ‘Looking to the Light’ was inspired by the patient Charles West, photographed in 1897 at Bristol’s mental hospital and the stained glass windows depicting saints and healing that bathe the Museum in coloured light,” explained Stella Man, curator and tutor at Glenside Hospital Museum

 “The New Dialogues project enabled me to unpick what art means to me including its connection to life,” says artist Natasha Harrison. “It encouraged us to take the plunge and grow in confidence, to believe in our own creative processes and get creating.” 

The project was supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, John Ellerman Foundation and the Art Fund. 

The exhibition runs from 20 May until 2 October and is open on Wednesdays from 10am – 1pm and all day Saturdays 10am – 4pm. A £5.00 ticket for two, provides entry to the whole Museum.

The Outside In New Dialogues project is also taking place at the Mental Health Museum in Wakefield, Yorkshire and Glasgow Museums.  Sneak preview in this virtual exhibition: Another Space Within showcasing 30 individual journeys of exploration by artists who have been taking place in Step Up: Exploring Collection courses. The exhibition highlights the diversity of themes, objects and ideas within these unique collections that include objects that relate to the history of mental health in the UK and artworks that were historically produced by mental health hospital patients. It also provides a great insight to what visitors will be able to see at the physical exhibitions.