In 2000, Elise Sanford launched the Athens Photographic Project as a pilot photography program to aid in mental health recovery. But what started as a pilot program 12 years ago has now grown to a permanent fixture in the Athens community.
The extreme isolation experienced by people who have been hospitalized for mental illness often makes the dependency on clinical care even more persistent, said Nate Thomson, the director of the project.
“Photography can allow them to explore their world through the lens of a camera,” Thomson said. “They start learning that they are still able to be in a community, not just as someone who is dependent, but someone who is able to give.”
In December 2010, the Athens Photographic Project opened its very own gallery at the Market on State, 1002 E. State St. The project celebrated the anniversary of the opening of its gallery last month and will open its gallery doors today to the public. The Elise Sanford Gallery is open to the public every Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
After being involved for several years, many students became mentors for newcomers.
“There’s a lot that drew me back to the Athens Photographic Project,” said Beth Klaus, a teaching assistant who was a student of the program’s first class in 2000.
“There’s a big friendship-family circle in the fellow artists, and the opportunity to share my personal photographic vision.”
Thomson graduated from Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication in 2002, the same year he first volunteered with the Athens Photographic Project. OU artists, he said, contributed a lot to the program’s development.
Barbara Jewell, a sophomore studying art history and German, is one such student volunteer. She currently helps to archive the storage and sometimes “just walks around” to see if anyone needs help.
“Actually, they know more about Photoshop than I do,” Jewell said. “But what people take photographs here for made me think why I take photographs.”
And although the project is a gratifying experience for the mentors, Thomson said it is the students of the program who benefit the most.
“The arts give individuals voice and help them explore their identity beyond that of just thinking about illness or what’s wrong,” Thomson said. “Instead, they are building new and positive experiences. Then when their memory comes up with something negative, it’s balanced.”
sw454711@ohiou.edu
