Gary Melquist
As the reality of the changing seasons sets in, Hennepin Theatre Trust is partnering with social service agency Avivo to bring a colorful new exhibition to your screen. In a showcase called Fantastically Dazzling: The Brilliant Colors of Gary R. Melquist, artist and mental health advocate Gary Melquist’s ink drawings are available for viewing virtually.
Melquist is a Minnesotan artist and participant of Avivo’s ArtWorks program, a resource that supports people living with mental illness through art therapy. The online gallery features more than 20 of Melquist’s drawings and will run through the fall, now on view at Hennepin Theatre Trust’s website.
Melquist struggled with severe depression and isolation when he was a teen and has felt their lasting impacts for much of his life. He discovered his artistic talents later in life and first started to create when he was 65 years old, finding inspiration in the beauty of travel photos, greeting cards, postcards, and scenes with animals. He also is a creative writer and mental health advocate, winning the Stigma Buster Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Minnesota in 1994.
Melquist has been a part of Avivo’s ArtWorks program since 2011, where he has been able to foster his talents within the arts. ArtWorks is centered around the philosophy that art can help people to grow and heal, enriching people’s lives through the works that they create. In Melquist’s case, art and creative writing have become outlets for him to express his emotions and deal with past struggles.
“Art can make change and create community and build skills; it’s more than art-making. It helps boost confidence and combat isolation as our program participants socialize with people who can relate to their challenges,” ArtWorks program supervisor Jes Reyes said in a press release.
Originally scheduled for March, the partnership with Hennepin Theatre Trust and Avivo has created an experience that will allow Melquist’s art to be safely shared with the community during the pandemic. “It was important and necessary to find a way to honor this extraordinary artist and share his talent in a new landscape of socially distanced experiences,” director of Hennepin Theatre District engagement Joan Vorderbruggen said in the release.
