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Arts in the Garden
May 5, 2006
Arts in the Garden is held during National Mental Health Month, on the
first Friday in May. This annual event is a presentation of visual and
performing art saluting the successful recovery of Georgians from mental
illness with the goal educating individuals about mental illness in order
to reduce stigma.
click on images for full-screen view
The day is filled with exhibitions, an artist market and a silent auction
of paintings, sculpture, and mixed media works. The community is invited to
participate in hands-on demonstrations of various art forms, story telling,
drama and musical performances, as well as educational presentations and
displays. 
As part of the
festivities, there is a plant sale of projects the horticultural therapy
and vocational horticulture clients have made, home-made baked goods for
sale, and a wonderful boxed lunch with the artists.
Skyland Trail is proud to host this event with it's partners- Emory University Hospital, Georgia Regional
Hospital-Decatur, Community Friendship and the Governor's Council on
Developmental Disabilities.
All events are FREE to the public.
Brief history:
Arts in the Garden started as a small plant sale, with a few art pieces by Skyland
Trail clients in 1996. The following year, the event had live music and
more art and plants. Due to the planning and opening of Skyland Trail's
Health and Education
Center, the event did
not occur in 1998 or 1999. It was resurrected in May 2000 when individuals
from Skyland Trail, along with professionals from Georgia Regional
Hospital-Decatur, Community Friendship, Hillside Hospital, Emory University
and other artists and consumers came together to plan a day filled with
art, music, and fun. In 2000, "My Sister's Sister" was performed
as part of the festivities and closed a very successful day.
Since then, Arts in the Garden has grown to include a large art sale with
original art t-shirts and note cards sold as well as an expanded plant
sale. Another area of growth has been the demonstrations and workshops. All
day, guests can partake in make and take interactive art projects. The
musical performances are a highlight of the day as participants gather in
the sunny courtyard to enjoy acoustic guitar, drumming and individual and
group performances.
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