Psychiatrists Show Creativity In Annual Art Exhibit

The setting for the APA Art Association exhibit at APA's 2006 annual meeting in Toronto was as close to ideal as one can get: centrally located and conspicuously eye-catching. The artist-exhibitiors lovingly nurtured their displayed art work and were available to share their insights with the people who inquired about the “meaning” of these creative endeavors.

This year's entries evoked an incredibly wide spectrum of media and expression. Especially dazzling was the vibrancy and variety of everyday life depicted in paintings, photographs, poems, and sculptures. The pieces moved freely from the humorous and secular to holy icons, from a dignified, jewel-like radiance to depiction of hostility.

They were an inspiration on the ordinary stuff of American culture, the discovery of how art, science, and the wonders of technology have structured human perception. We may have values, knowledge, and even wealth, yet there is something missing. It could be that woman, the most passionate I have ever known... .40 years ago, or that grant that was denied because of my height, or my sexual fantasies. May I urge my colleagues to shed that cumbersome, protective armor that often surrounds us and keeps us from expressing our passions and rush to join the APA Art Association.

All APA members are eligible to join, as are their spouses and partners. Members of the APA staff are also invited to join. To join or learn more about the association, contact the new president of the APA Art Association, Gail Barton, M.D., M.P.H. She can be reached by mail at 29 Main Street, Windsor, Vt. 05089 or e-mail at [email protected].▪