Mary Margaret Johnston-Miller and James Miller: “How Extraordinary! Preserving the Psychiatric Art of Scotland.”

Mary Margaret Johnston-Miller and James Miller: “How Extraordinary! Preserving the Psychiatric Art of Scotland.”

Categories: General, Lectures and Seminars | Intended for

Friday, February 09, 2018

12:30 PM - 2:00 PM | Add to calendar

433 Paterson History Lounge (Paterson Hall)

1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, ON

Contact Information

History Department, 613-520-2828, history@carleton.ca

Registration

No registration required.

Cost

Free

About this Event

Host Organization: History Department
More Information: Please click here for additional details.

The History Department invites you to a talk by Mary Margaret Johnston-Miller, Library and Archives Canada and Prof. James Miller, as part of our Brown Bag Friday Occasion Series. Bring your lunch and join us in the History Department Lounge, 433 Paterson, at 12:30pm.

About the Presentation:
In the fall of 1977, art therapist Joyce Laing embarked upon a journey in search of works of art created by patients in mental hospitals across Scotland. This was the beginning of years of collecting which resulted in what Laing named the “Art Extraordinary Collection.” This collection consisted of hundreds of works, including drawings, paintings, sculptures, and mixed media works, created by men and women with a history of mental ill-health. As explained by Laing, they were the creation of artists, “usually with no formal art education or training, whose works arise from an inner necessity impelled by intense personal vision.” For many years the collection was housed in Laing’s home in Pittenweem, Fife. In 2012, however, the works were relocated to the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre, where this unique collection can be better preserved and studied. This presentation provides an overview of the content of the Art Extraordinary Collection, charts the history of its creation and preservation, and discusses plans to make it more accessible to the public.