Artists Talk Mental Health returns with a focus on LGBTQ+ artists

Covid has had a grip on society for over two years now, and the effects are still widely being felt. People from all corners of the world have felt doomed, damned, and everything in between because of the virus. Even though there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel and things are slowly getting back to normal, there’s still a disconnect. 

Mental health for all of us has been explicitly hit hard, some without a hope of being able to express the darkest and most personal things inside them. The virus is not going away anytime soon, but there’s a glimmer of hope pulling ourselves out of that dark, black, hole and her name is Syndey Davis. 

Sydney Davis has started a series called Artists Talk Mental Health. Where performance-based artists get up and present their most personal works on why and how covid has affected their mental health. These pieces reflect that pain and put it out in the open for a discussion and an open dialogue not just between artists but for everyone. 

For example, Davis explains a piece an artist did that hit home a little more than she thought it would. Xavier Thomas, a celebrity photographer, was on the job taking pictures at a party for a few celebrities. He got to the party, hung out, and lived what most think would be a dream come true. After the party and everyone went home, he explained that he had no money, none at all. He could not pay for a hotel room, so for the entire week, he was shooting pictures. He wore the same clothes each day and slept on the concrete outside. 

He presented these photos and explained he’s good now, but he struggled with his dream during covid for a while. On the surface, people saw a man living lavishly with gold, glitter, and glory, but in reality, he was homeless and just as low as anyone else during the pandemic. 

Artists Talk Mental Health series will be hosting its third installment on July 17, 6-9pm, at the Carnegie Museum of Art with lite appetizers. Tickets can be found through Eventbrite (click here for tickets) to this open panel discussion, not only the artists but everyone in the room struggling with their mental health. At the end of each performance, the audience and artist engage one another and talk through the hurt in an almost creatively inspired group therapy session. In the hopes of easing the pains, we have all felt in the last two years, any which way a person has struggled. 

Since the event was originally scheduled for pride month, the next round of artists will be centered around the LGBTQ+ community. Sydney personally funds these events, and it all started because of her own struggle to find an outlet to express the pain of the last two years. 

Join Sydney and countless others on a journey that I think more people need than they feel because sometimes we all want someone to just listen. Come out and not only will you be heard but listen to the stories of countless others who also felt like they were all alone. 

Facebook Event: https://m.facebook.com/events/1413128909160980/

Website: https://www.artisttalkmentalhealth.com