#MENTAL
HEALTH
SPRING/SUMMER 2020
PHOTOGRAPHY + HEALING
N A I Y D H A P W N A R A C G E O N T D O N H A P R B IN A T. H H S G E I R L F . E A V T I GE SPECT PER
! OW
P IN
N T N I R
INE L N N O EO UE B S I S I R ST SC E B T U A S A E L S OR C H . T D T E GE SSTAND O T HO NEW
W
.P W W
SARA HARLEY BEHIND THE SHOT:
“Destination Unknown” from her Comfort + Joy series.
IN THIS ISSUE 11
RESOURCES WE LOVE
13 K AT FULWIDER: YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY 16 R EPRESENTING IDEAS NEW BRUNSWICK COLLEGE OF CRAFT AND DESIGN STUDENTS EXPLORE MENTAL HEALTH By Karen Ruet 22 THE ONE PROJECT T HE POWER OF PHOTOGRAPHY TO CHANGE THE CONVERSATION By Bryce Evans
26 S HIRA GOLD: FINDING HER BREATH By Peppa Martin 34 RICK MILLER’S HOMECOMING By Kerry Manders 38 SARA HARLEY: STROKE OF EMOTIONS 40 M EGAN CONLEY: VULNERABLE EXPRESSIONS By Ali Penko 44 R EADERS GALLERY Submissions by our readers
SEE THINGS FOR YOURSELF GEAR, EXPERTS, AND SUPPORT, WITH 30 LOCATIONS ACROSS CANADA AND AT HENRYS.COM
CAPTURE TOMORROW Incredibly light and compact, you can take the Z 50 with you any time and enjoy stunning pictures and 4K UHD video. Operation is so intuitive. Whether it’s action, portraits, food or landscapes, the fun of shooting and an array of creative options keep you inspired, day or night. Your images can be transferred seamlessly to smart devices via SnapBridge, for sharing online. The huge potential of the Z mount system means it will amaze you from day one and for years to come. With the Z 50, you’ll find your world simply becomes richer. 20.9MP
|
11 FPS
|
ISO 100-51200
|
EYE-DETECT AF
|
4K UHD
|
SNAPBRIDGE
www.nikon.ca
At Beau Photo, we’ve seen many changes over the years, but our commitment to all things photographic continues.
Cabinet of Curiosities A Collection of Notable Objects. An Exhibition of Analogue Images April 6th - May 28th Reception - April 15th 6-8pm Science World Atrium
Cameras • Film • Digital • Rentals • Advice • Community Beau Photo Supplies 1401 W. 8th Ave. Vancouver, BC 604.734.7771 www.beauphoto.com
Beau Photo
Photo ©Heather Renforth
beauphotostore @beauphotostore
EDUCATIONAL PRICING HOME TO ALL YOUR ANALOGUE NEEDS
89 QUEEN STREET EAST TORONTO, ONTARIO M5C 1S1
Come and Visit our NEW HOME
T: 416.363.1749 TF: 1.866.223.1618 email: info@downtowncamera.com web: downtowncamera.com
PHOTO | VIDEO | FILM | PHOTOLAB | USED | SERVICE
EDITOR’S NOTE
Photo by Margaret Mulligan
PHOTOGRAPHY: A TOOL FOR HEALING
“If you find yourself stuck in darkness, the first thing to do is find and start capturing the light.” — Bryce Evans
PHOTOED E IS 10 0% MAGAZIN NADA! CA MADE IN U FO R Y K THAN O PPORT! YOUR SU
MENTAL HEALTH IS AN ISSUE THAT AFFECTS US ALL, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. Since taking over as the editor at PhotoED, I’ve received incredible submissions and stories from across Canada shared by really brave, creative people who interpret and chronicle deeply personal experiences, using photography as a tool for healing. These powerful stories inspired us to create this special edition. Sometimes the images aren’t pretty, or clear, but the accompanying stories have real impact. We thought this edition would not only connect with our photophile readers, but also inspire all readers to pick up cameras and “seek the light.”
From artists who use photography as a conduit for local community connections such as Kat Fulwider with her work with Ottawa’s homeless youth, to Megan Conley, an artist working through personal trauma, to Bryce Evans, a photographer, entrepreneur, and creator of an online platform for people around the world
to connect through photography and to support conversations about mental health, we’re proud to share a few examples in this edition. We hope the people featured motivate you to start your own conversations, and perhaps to use your own photography tools in new and contemplative ways. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and sign up for our e-newsletter to keep up!
Your Editor, Rita Godlevskis rita@photoed.ca
WWW.PHOTOED.CA
MAGAZINE
@photoedmagazine SPRING/SUMMER 2020 ISSUE #58 ISSN 1708-282X
@PhotoEdCANADA @photoedmagazine
PhotoED Magazine is published 3x/year, SPRING, FALL, & WINTER See www.photoed.ca for subscription and advertising information. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40634032 PhotoED Magazine 2100 Bloor St. West, Suite 6218 Toronto ON M6S 5A5
This issue was made possible with the assistance of the Ontario Arts Council.
EDITOR/PUBLISHER
ART DIRECTOR
Rita Godlevskis /rita@photoed.ca Ruth Alves
CONTRIBUTING Bryce Evans Kat Fulwider WRITERS Sara Harley Kerry Manders Peppa Martin Ali Penko Karen Ruet
COPY EDITOR
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
COVER IMAGE :
Deborah Cooper Dominic Balasta “Higher Love” by Shira Gold
Promoting Contemporary Visual Arts since 1988
2020 EXHIBITION PROGRAMING March 6 – April 18
E.M. Alysse Bowd: Floating Pink Cloud M.N.V. (Krista Acheson): Baloney & Cheese May 1 – June 6
GET THE GUIDE
June 2 – June 7
The PhotoEd GUIDE to Photography is a 128-page magazine-format learning and teaching resource. The GUIDE provides a quick start to basic tools & techniques, and ideas for new explorations.
Tammy Salzl: Broken Walls Garry McMillan: Extractions Edmonton and the Bauhaus Enterprise Square Gallery (off-site venue) University of Alberta Downtown Campus 10230 Jasper Avenue NW, Edmonton, AB
Presented for the Annual Conference of the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada (RAIC)
June 18 – July 11
Harcourt’s Annual Open House + 2020 The Works Art + Design Festival
Yielding to Form: Annual Harcourt House Members’ Exhibition + Art Sale Bowing to the Figure: Annual Naked Show + Art Sale July 24 – September 5
Jill Ho-You: Latent Monuments Deann Stein Hasinoff: Catching Smoke September 25 – October 3
2020 Design Week at Harcourt House + 2020 Alberta Culture Days
Beyond Surrealism: Posters Design by Rafal Olbinski Concept-Form-Metaphor: The Ceramic Art of Ruta Nichol October 16 – November 28
Tamires Para: 2020 Artist-In-Residence Exhibition Helis Podnek: From Nothing to All December 4 – December 12
2020 Art-O-Rama Art Sale Fundraiser
3rd floor, 10215 - 112 Street, Edmonton, AB, CA T5K 1M7 780 426 4180 harcourtinfo@shaw.ca harcourthouse.ab.ca
GET IT ONLINE:
WWW.PHOTOED.CA
GET INSPIRED:
DIVE DEEPER
Our recommendations for more resources to further explore photography + healing
ONE PROJECT APP
NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA
FREE + paid
FREE + paid The NFB is an award-winning online resource featuring thousands of bilingual videos – from documentaries to animated films, from new releases to back catalogue favourites. We love their curated collection of content on topics about mental health, psychology, psychiatry, and emotional life. We also love their Educational Playlists feature for teachers, and that content can be streamed or played offline. The NFB app can be downloaded from the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, or from Google Play. nfb.ca
Described by many as one of the safest spaces online to discuss mental health, The One Project is an app and support group community with members around the world using therapeutic photography techniques to connect, learn, and support one another. Choose anonymity or feature your story publicly. This online community aims to reduce loneliness, build connection, and increase understanding about all aspects of mental health, while members grow together through shared insights. theoneproject.co
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR CANADIANS Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 Kids Help Phone is a 24/7 national support service. They offer professional counselling, information, referrals, and support to young people in English and French. Find out more about their phone, text, live chat, and app options at: kidshelpphone.ca
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is
the most extensive community mental health organization in Canada. The CMHA website features extensive resources and help on a variety of topics, including children and youth anxiety and depression, coping with loneliness, depression and bipolar disorder, eating disorders, feeling angry, and much more. cmha.ca
In crisis? Call 1-833-456-4566 toll free (In QC: 1-866-277-3553), 24/7 or visit www.crisisservicescanada.ca
EFFORTLESS BEAUTY: PHOTOGRAPHY AS AN EXPRESSION OF EYE, MIND AND HEART by Julie DuBose $15.00 digital + $22.50 print Miksang is a form of contemplative photography that asks us to see our world in a new way. Effortless Beauty (available in print and digital formats) is a road map for taking a different kind of photograph, which might even lead to a different kind of living: direct living through direct seeing. Author and co-founder of the Miksang Institute Julie DuBose brings a new perspective to taking pictures. Julie explores not only how we express our experiences with our lenses, but also how we can find a fresh way of navigating our visual world together. www.miksang.com photo ED 11
LEFT: “Iftin” “ I try to be really quiet and stay in my own corner because I don’t want to get in trouble and because you have to think about your own safety at the end of the day. You don’t want to get involved with, like, anything that can get you hurt.” RIGHT: “Rainy” “ I met Rainy when I was volunteering at Operation Come Home. She is a compassionate young woman with a gift for writing. This photo was taken around the time she found out she was pregnant. Since this picture was taken Rainy has turned her life around. She left a toxic relationship, got off the streets, has an apartment and a job, and has a beautiful baby who she says saved her life. Her story is one of inspiration that there is a light on the other side of the darkness.”
Kat Fulwider YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY A cardboard sign is a form of communication people experiencing homelessness use with the general public. Often it is the only dialogue between these two demographics. Using art as a vehicle to break down walls of stigma, photographer Kat Fulwider challenges us to look at the human beyond the sign. “WHAT IS YOUR STORY? WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE?” Kat asked these questions to but a few of the 800 youth in Ottawa who don’t have a place to call home. Their answers were communicated in the form of visual artwork, words, and poetry: their emotional accounts of loss, survival, and resilience sketched on cardboard. On this simple material, Kat combined their statements with portraits she created through the cyanotype process.
photo ED 13
Henry’s Foundation: Our Mission
Putting mental health into focus. 6.7 million. That’s how many Canadians are affected by mental illness, according to Canada’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). That number means that every Canadian is impacted, either directly or indirectly, by mental illness: Either you, or someone you know, has a mental illness. That’s why Canadian digital imaging retailer Henry’s is proud to announce the launch of the Henry’s Foundation, a charitable endeavor specifically created to help support the millions of Canadians who live with a mental illness such as anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder.
Henry’s has been involved with charitable initiatives in the past, including the Henry’s Tournament for Health in support of the Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre at Mount Sinai Hospital, LOVE (Leave Out Violence) using art and media to empower youth, and the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation’s Ride to Conquer Cancer. The Stein family created the Henry’s Foundation in late 2019 in an effort to build one focused charitable strategy surrounding the challenges of mental health in Canada.
improve the lives of Canadians living with mental illness and remind them that they are not alone. The Foundation is driven to achieve change, both externally, in the communities in which it operates, and internally, amongst Henry’s employees. “Mental health awareness is a cause that is very important for our employees and their family members as well,” says Amy Stein, Executive Director of Henry’s Foundation. “We want to help make a long-lasting impact in our local communities , across the country, in the area of mental health.”
The objective of the Henry’s Foundation is to help put mental health into focus by providing much needed funding to
Focus on Community Involvement
Because mental health and illness affects all Canadians, it has an impact on the communities in which Henry’s operates. The Henry’s Foundation is looking forward to working closely with Canada’s creator community to help raise awareness of the impact of mental illnesses on Canadians. “We really want our community — our employees, but also the creator community in Canada — to get involved,” Stein says. That’s why, as part of the Foundation’s official launch in March, it will be encouraging the community to upload and share photos that indicate what mental health means to them, using the hashtag #uncapturedmoments. Photos can be uploaded on henrysfoundation.com or shared via Instagram under The Henry’s Foundation (@thehenrysfoundation). The Foundation hopes that these #uncapturedmoments — those that capture the typically unseen parts of everyone’s lives — will help to show the
rest of the community, and all Canadians who are struggling with mental health issues, that they are not alone. It’s a great avenue for the creator community to express themselves through their art in ways they may not typically think about, Stein says. Photography is typically used to capture special moments or exceptional experiences, but by using the artform to reveal the everyday nature of life, Stein hopes the community will find new and different ways to express their creativity and emotions. In addition to the #uncapturedmoments campaign, the Henry’s Foundation will be raising money at point-of-sale in Henry’s stores when a customer makes a purchase, and will be offering in-store events with a focus on mental health and more. Internally, as the Foundation becomes interwoven with Henry’s culture, the barriers around mental health and illness will continue to break down as employees become more comfortable discussing their mental health.
Ab
The in l will The own Cam men the spe hav
Hen ope that of part and the Hen
th ey en he nd
at es ll,” of elp cal he
ns th
or es ay ys. to nal m fe, nd eir
ts will in es re th
es he nd as ble
Framing the Mental Health Issues Facing Canadians
40%
of Ontarians say they have experienced feelings of anxiety or depression, but have not sought treatment
More and more high-profile cases of mental health have entered the public discourse, from former Toronto Raptors star DeMar DeRozan to comedian Howie Mandel to Youtuber Lily Singh. As a result, awareness of the impact of mental health has never been greater in Canada. In fact, a 2015 study suggested that 80% of Canadians were more aware of mental health issues than they were just five years earlier.
33%
of Canadians who have sought treatment for mental health issues feel their needs were not adequately met
And yet, a quick look at the statistics shows we have a long, long way to go before we: A) eliminate the stigmas associated with discussing mental health; B) treat mental illnesses as seriously and rigorously as we treat physical illnesses; and C) ensure Canadians struggling with mental health issues have the support they need.
Mental health care in Ontario is underfunded by about
$1.5 billion (Statistics courtesy of CAMH)
About Henry’s Foundation
The Henry’s Foundation was started in late 2019 by the Stein family, and will officially launch in March of 2020. The Stein family, fourth-generation owners of Henry’s, Canada’s Greatest Camera Store, are firm supporters of mental health initiatives in Canada and the Henry’s Foundation was created specifically to support Canadians who have mental health illnesses. Henry’s Foundation is committed to both operating with integrity, and ensuring that the highest possible percentage of each donation goes directly to its partners. As such, there are no employees, and the Foundation is operated with the commitment and resources of Henry’s and the Stein family.
In addition, the Henry’s Foundation is partnering with several institutions across Canada at both a national and local level, to help spread awareness. These include: • • • • • •
Kids Help Phone (National) Jack.org (National) Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) (Ontario) Douglas Mental Health University Institute Foundation (Quebec) Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia (Nova Scotia) VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation (British Columbia)
You can find more information about the Henry’s Foundation, and the #uncapturedmoments campaign on Instagram @thehenrysfoundation and henrysfoundation.com. Donations can be made at any Henry’s retail location or online at henrysfoundation.com.
Henrysfoundation.com
F O N D AT I O N F O U N D AT I O N
photography
DIPLOMA | 2 YEARS | 6 SEMESTERS
1 ST YEAR PHOTOGRAPHY STUDENT LIAM ENDRESEN MODEL AURORE PELLETIER
“ TAKE YOUR BROKEN HEART, MAKE IT INTO ART.” — CARRIE FISHER
Karen Ruet, an educator at New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, shares her in-class experiences with students who were representing ideas of mental health. She asks, “How do you share your students’ stories respectfully while honouring their artwork and their privacy?”
I
t was the winter of 2016. My Representing Ideas class needed a topic for a short-term project. I didn’t set out to tackle mental health but the subject came up and more than one student agreed it was a good one to delve into.
I hadn’t realised at the time that so many of my students had such deeply personal experiences to express. I am not a mental health professional and my class was not meant to become a counselling session. We do have a full-time counsellor at our college and I was extremely grateful for her when we did this project because more than one student sought her out. Over the course of our classes, students sometimes left the room. When I asked for participants to share their work in this article, some backed out. Their topics still hit too close to home. One student told me her situation was ongoing and it was still
extremely difficult for her to discuss. It is one thing to make deeply personal art and show it in the safety of a classroom of your peers, but it can be something very different to talk about it publicly. The students who contributed their work for this article were brave to come forward. Their stories all influenced me in different ways for different reasons. In discussing this article, alumna Bailey Rogers shared a Carrie Fisher quote with me: “Take your broken heart, make it into art.” This quote resonated with me strongly, and so did Bailey’s story. In 2016, Bailey created a series of self-portraits to share her brother’s story. He had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Bailey had already been working with conceptual composite images and used this storytelling method for this project. She photo ED 19
She has continued to develop her series Trauma 1, 2, 3 with other groups across Canada. During her 2017 residency at Gibraltar Point on Toronto Island, she used a similar scenario, creating 3D scans of fellow artists in poses relating to memories of past trauma without revealing their context. Megan says, “I selectively altered and manipulated portions of the figure and face to emphasize aspects of their possible physical or emotional trauma.” The most recent continuation of this series involves collaboration in Calgary with DJD Dance Centre dancers. She says this project 42 photo ED
examines “the face and body as a site of vulnerable expression through movement and physical touch, while ultimately starting a conversation about individual struggle and mental health, but also collective healing.”
PREVIOUS PAGE: “ Sinking,” 2016.
Of the future, Megan says, “As I continue to work on my own Trauma series, I want people to relate more, talk about their own trauma, and start a conversation on mental health. Everyone has their own individual story, but collective healing holds real power.”
LEFT: “ Skull and Face 3,” 2019.
meganpatriciaconley.wordpress.com
TOP: “ Untitled,” from the Alien 1,2,3, series, 2011.
RIGHT: “ Collective Healing,” 2019.
In need of a breather? If you’ve been looking for a low-pressure way to browse budget analog camera equipment and general photographic history, consider dropping into the May 31 Spring Camera Fair at Trident Hall in Etobicoke. You’ll explore tables of unusual and familiar fare, chat with indie vendors and come away with colossal bargains. Think of it as a break with benefits. Check the PHSC newsletter for details.
www.phsc.ca
JENS KRISTIAN BALLE Vancouver, BC THUMB “An illustration of our relationship with social media and how it’s mostly a facade we put on where we pretend everything is perfect, even though it’s probably not.” www.jenskristianballe.com
THE
GALLERY SUBMISSIONS BY OUR READERS