The field of psychiatry has been around for more than 100 years, but there’s still much we don’t know about the workings of the human brain, especially in mentally ill people. Michael Nye was working as a lawyer in San Antonio when his partner in the firm committed suicide. Shortly thereafter, one of Nye’s closest friends was diagnosed with schizophrenia. These experiences spurred him to create Fine Line: Mental Health/Mental Illness, an interactive museum exhibit consisting of Nye’s own photographed portraits of 55 patients suffering from a wide variety of conditions (ranging from agoraphobia to clinical depression to psychosis) and pairing them with audio footage of the picture’s subjects discussing how they lived with their conditions. Their personal stories make this show more than just an educational display. It’s an illuminating and at times deeply moving experience into this poorly understood realm.
This exhibit was in Dallas last year at SMU, but now it comes to Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. In the interest of advancing the understanding of mental illness, the museum will charge no admission for this exhibit. If someone close to you is afflicted by an illness, Fine Line can help you gain some insight into their world.
[box_info]Fine Line: Mental Health/Mental Illness runs Apr 17-May 31 at Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, 1600 Gendy St, FW. Admission is free. Call 817-255-9300.[/box_info]
