Project gives mentally ill creative outlet

by Tiffany Royal
Staff Writer

There are voices that need to be heard. Artist Elsie Sanford uses photography to amplify those voices.

Sanford developed the Athens Photographic Project — photography classes for mentally ill people in this area. The results are displayed in the exhibit, "I Have A Voice," at the Dairy Barn, 8000 Dairy Barn Lane.

"It's been a long-time dream of mind to teach (the mentally ill) how to photograph," Sanford said.

The works on display are by students who have completed the classes, Sanford said. There were many students who started but couldn't finish the sessions because of illness or other reasons. She was expecting only 12 to 15 students at the first meeting last summer, but was surprised when more than 20 students walked into her classroom at the Church of Good Shepherd.

Using Olympus Style Epic Zoom 80s, students shot more than 500 rolls of film, totaling almost 19,000 frame shots, Sanford said. Kmart, 1006 E. State St., helped support the classes by doing all the processing and printing. Employees produced doubles for Sanford, so students could have one copy for themselves and Sanford could have one for the show.

Sanford wanted to give the students a genuine experience to produce, shoot and process photos. She also wanted their photos to be judged by an outside party, so she asked friend and Ohio University alumna Karen Serago to participate.

An active member with the mental health movement in Athens, Sanford was able to incorporate her personal experiences of having a mentally-ill family member with the classes.

"In many cases, the story (with patients) was about recovering your voice," Sanford said. "The mentally ill often feel that have lost their identity with the illness and it's difficult to recover. This was an attempt to recover it."

The students found the class beneficial and fun.

"A friend wanted me to take the class because I would always take a camera with me wherever I went," student Anita Rice said. "Because you might never get that same picture again. (The pictures) show what goes on in the lives of most of these people."

Some of the assignments included self-portraits, friends, family and home surroundings.

Shelagh Cosgrove, the mother of student Pete Wuscher, thought it was a wonderful way to get the word out that the mentally ill are just as worthy of creative expression as everyone else.

"It’s a way for us to come from hiding in public," Wuscher said. "There is something therapeutic about it and it's lots of fun."

Andrew Angelson, who is taking pictures as part hobby and part profession, found the projects helped him to relax and see things differently.

"I find beauty in everything out there," he said. "And it’s another way to deal with mental illness."

Sanford said she would like to continue teaching classes if she can find more funding. Support and funding for the classes and materials currently come from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Ohio Arts Council (the Appalachian Arts Project) and the Gathering Place.

"We always wind up learning more from the student than we often think we are teaching, " Sanford said. "It was certainly true in this case; the knowledge of what it's like to be mentally ill and the courage it takes for these folks to get up everyday."

I Have A Voice by The Athens Photographic Project will be on display through March 11. The Dairy Barn is located at 8000 Dairy Barn Lane. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended hours Thursday until 8 p.m. Call 592-4981 for more information.