Irwin gallery exhibit says 'check yourself' for mental health struggles
Kade Ellinger is using personal experience with depression and anxiety — along with his artistic talents — in the hope of sparking a conversation about mental and emotional health.
His exhibit, “Chiggity-Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself,” is showing through February at Feathers Artist Market and Gifts in Irwin.
“Check Yourself” features a wall covered with brightly colored graphics asking questions like, “How Is Your Mood?” and “Are You Okay?”
Other questions go deeper, probing into “Are You Feeling Suicidal?” and “Do You Feel Like Harming Others?”
Ellinger, a graphic designer who lives in Wall, Allegheny County, developed the series for his senior project at Clarion University, where he earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in 2016.
“I was battling with my own mental health issues and trying to come to terms with them,” he said. “I finally checked myself into an inpatient psychiatric center for 14 days.
“Every 20 minutes, one of the nurses would come in and ask every one of those questions. I’d never been asked them before,” he said. “The repetition of those questions gave me insight into, wow, nobody is talking about these things.”
Ellinger said he hopes that his work will help remove stigma associated with mental health issues.
“That’s why I used bright colors,” he said. “Some of the typography looks hand-written, so it’s friendly and approachable. That twist to the viewer says maybe this is not so bad to talk about.”
Still relevant
The display inspires interaction, according to the gallery owner Tracy Alaia.
“I love how people who have come in with teens or kids will read the wall and ask the questions,” Alaia said. “Maybe it will get a conversation going in the car. A tiny little conversation piece can have a bigger impact than people realize.”
Though the work was created in 2016, Ellinger said, “Five years later, it’s definitely still relevant. I’ve had the experience of quarantine just like everyone else, and I’ve definitely felt some kind of way with everything going on.”
“Life is hard in the first place for people with depression and anxiety,” he said. “Now we have covid depression and election depression, and it’s cold out, so we have seasonal depression.
“Now is as good a time as ever to get those questions out there,” he added. “Pick up the phone and check on a friend. Instead of watching the news, talk to someone.”
As part of the exhibit, Ellinger offers matted prints and stickers for sale. A printed list of phone numbers for help hot-lines also is available.
Alaia also tied Ellinger’s work to the gallery’s other exhibit that features photographs by her son, Matthew, 14, and paintings and drawings by her daughter, Macy, 16.
She had a T-shirt made featuring Macy’s painting, “We Are Together,” with two brightly colored, clasped hands against a black background. The shirt is available for $29, with sales benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region.
Ellinger met Alaia during a reception at Feathers that he attended with a co-worker who is involved in downtown Irwin events.
“It was after I moved to Wall from Clarion about 3 years ago,” Ellinger said. “He said, ‘Come with me, you’ll meet some other artists and some cool people.’”
“Check Yourself” was originally intended for a two-month run beginning in April, but was pushed back to a December start because of the pandemic. It will continue until sometime in February, Alaia said.
More information is available by calling 412-930-1954 or online at feathersartistmarket.com or on Facebook.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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