June 14, 1971: “LOOK, I’M CREATIVE TOO!”, the first large-scale exhibition of art work by emotionally disturbed children, sponsored by the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene (Bureau of Children’s Services), will open in The Brooklyn Museum’s Community Gallery on Sunday, June 27 and remain on view through July 25. Admission is free.
The six State Children’s Hospitals and Children’s Services represented in this unusual exhibition include Kings Park State Hospital (Kings Park, N.Y.); Manhattan-Kirby State Hospital (Ward’s Island, N.Y.); Queens Children’s Hospital (Bellerose, N.Y.); Bronx Children’s Hospital (Bronx, N.Y.); Sagamore Children’s Center (Mellville, L.I.) and the Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Hospital (Orangeburg, N.Y.).
Conceived by Florence Hunt, director of Regional Communications of the Department of Mental Hygiene, in collaboration with Henri Ghent, director of the Community Gallery, the exhibition of paintings, sculpture, ceramics and photography is the creative work of mentally ill boys and girls ranging in age from six (6) to sixteen (16) from New York’s metropolitan area and Nassau and Suffolk. The exhibition will also feature a movie with music written and produced by the children of Rockland Psychiatric Hospital.
The majority of the youngsters are from socially and economically deprived backgrounds. “Children admitted to the State institutions and schools”, said Mrs. Virginia Woodward, Education Director at Rockland State Hospital, “come to us with few successful experiences in school, and our programs in the arts, both creative and performing, have given them a feeling of success and this success is greatly reflected in their academic work.”
Dr. Bertram M. Pepper, Associate Commissioner, Bureau of Children’s Services, noted that “the exhibit will further the community’s understanding of the mentally ill child, while enabling the children to participate in a project which is meaningful and worthwhile for them. We extend our sincerest appreciation to The Brooklyn Museum and the Community Gallery for their interest and assistance.” “LOOK, I’M CREATIVE TOO!” is made possible with the support of the New York State Council on the Arts.
Brooklyn Museum Archives. Records of the Department of Public Information. Press releases, 1971 - 1988. 1971, 035-36.
