Face Value is an interactive education program that will challenge stigma, cultural biases and stereotyping through art and public dialogue. The program will be hosted through 9Muses Art Center and the AmeriCorps Community Integration program, both housed at the Mental Health Association of Broward County (MHA). The program is comprised of three parts:
THE SURVEY
A sampling of community residents will be invited to participate by submitting a current photo and completing a questionaire. The survey will request information about each participant that is not visually descriptive.
THE PORTRAITS
Artists participating at the 9Muses Art Center and at community drop-in centers cooperating with the MHA-AmeriCorps program will be asked to create portraits of individuals based solely on the attributes provided through the surveys. Artists will not have access to the photos or to the identities of those whose surveys they are assigned. All supplies (paints, canvas or media of the artists preference) will be provided to artists who will participate voluntarily. A modest stipend will be offered to the artists whose work will become an archive of the project. At least 20 artists will be invited to participate.
COFFEE AND CONVERSATION
A traveling exhibit will be created in which the portraits, surveys, artist commentaries and photos will be displayed. A facilitator will conduct a dialogue with guests that reflects on the project themes of stigma, pre-conceptions and stereotyping and the impact of these constructs on attendees and on the greater community. Dialogue sessions will be of 60 minutes duration each. Settings will be informal and each session will include refreshments that support a congenial and engaging atmosphere for candid communication. Each dialogue session will include one or more of the exit survey will assess the impact of the presentation on each participant. A follow-up survey will be conducted 30 days after participation through which attendees will report the impact of their participation on self-awareness and on perceptions of others encountered in their daily activities.
Participating Community Members:
