Baycrest

The Brain Project exhibit at Nathan Phillips Square, July 2022 BrainMatters • Spring/Summer 2023 • 17 USING ART TO RAISE AWARENESS OF BRAIN HEALTH Beyond the borders of its campus, Baycrest also organizes and hosts the Brain Project, a citywide Toronto art exhibit featuring thought-provoking brain sculptures that raise awareness about brain health and critical funding for research at Baycrest. Gina Godfrey, a prolific abstract, portrait artist, and printmaker, was one of the selected artists for the 2021 exhibit. Using a simple design to convey a powerful message, her brain sculpture entitled "Unravelled" is a representation of her unravelled brain during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns that caused intensified feelings of stress and anxiety for Gina, as well as for many other people living in Canada. "Unsurprising to most, there is a lasting psychological impact of COVID-19 on mental health," says Godfrey. A sculpture from the Sha'ar: Song of the Gate exhibit by Samantha Goldman EXHIBITING ART AT BAYCREST Baycrest also hosts a number of different rotating art exhibits on campus. Located in the Winter Garden next to the W.A. Café, Sha'ar: Song of the Gate is an exhibit by artist Samantha Goldman currently on display. The exhibit combines her sculptural, spiritual, painterly and musical practices in a form that takes into account the emotional experiences of others. Samantha's sculptures reimagine the humble Jewish folk art of papercutting, helping preserve the disappearing tradition by using contemporary materials. The exhibit includes intricate acrylic sculptures, accompanied by illuminated manuscripts and Ketubahs (Jewish marriage contracts) from Europe and North Africa, as well as quotes from the Hebrew Bible. "The Department of Culture and Arts at Baycrest shared the best presentation approach for residents and patients at Baycrest to ensure accessibility and sensitivity," says Samantha. "These guiding principles became the foundation upon which I established the concepts, images and materials I include in my sculptures." "This sculpture was an opportunity to help guide and promote psychological health and well-being through the isolating, stressful pandemic." Research suggests that art can serve as a vehicle for healing, as well as self-expression, allowing an individual to maintain a strong sense of identity, personhood, culture and connection to the community. Baycrest's goal is to offer professional and therapeutic arts opportunities to enable older adults to rediscover these qualities in their lives and support brain health, healing and well-being. The Brain Project is returning in 2023. Visit brainproject.ca for dates and locations.

• Cover