Artbeat Annual 4 "Esprit"

Organization Name:
Artbeat Studio Inc.
City & State:
Describe your creative piece – what is it and what has it been used for, and why is it innovative?
Artbeat Annual: "Esprit" is a full colour booklet featuring the artwork of Artbeat Studio's alumni artists. Conceived as a fundraising strategy, the book offers insight into the results of the artists' residency at the studio and is also an awareness initiative for the studio. The Artbeat Annual is innovative in that it works on many levels to accomplish a number of goals ranging from the individual experience of the artists to a means for greater social change, while acting a simple and effective marketing tool.
What issue or problem were you working to address with this piece?
Artbeat Studio is a unique community based, mental health consumer generated, peer directed, program that provides social supports, working art studio/gallery space and mentorship for individuals living with mental illness for the purpose of recovery and empowerment. Artbeat Studio is committed to decreasing stigma and discrimination that coincides with mental illness and poverty through positive action, mental health education and advocacy. As emerging and professional artists recovering from mental illness, many of our participants do not have fair access to opportunities in the arts industry.
How has your submission successfully impacted your organization’s ability to solve this issue/problem?
This project has the potential to break down some of these barriers and allow these and other artists to contribute tremendously to the social, economic and community development in the Arts. The use of this book as a tool for communication provides a means to convey the variety and quality of work created by individuals living with mental illness, and challenging the stereotypes and stigma associated with mental illness. "Esprit" has been important in offering a simple and beautiful communication tool that works on many levels to market the Studio and the work of the artists, while providing the artists with a tool for furthering their career, and acting as a method to make social change by offering a different and important perspective on mental illness.