About Breathe Together
“A pandemic, nationwide protests and uprisings, a presidential election, and cascading challenges face individuals and communities across the globe… many of us have struggled with our mental health. Despite the prevalence and normalcy of these feelings and experiences, stigma continues to follow mental illness. Using a combination of personal experience and research into the complex world of mental health, Penn State Professor of Theatre Dr. William J. Doan focuses on the intersections of art, science, and health.”
During our most recent session, individuals of all ages were invited to join Facilitators Marisa Vicere, President and Founder of the Jana Marie Foundation, Medora Ebersole, Education and Community Programs Manager of Center for the Performing Arts, Dr. Bill Doan, Artist, and the HUB-Robeson Galleries for a virtual tour of The Anxiety Project, live reading of Inside Anxiety and Depression, and meditative drawing prompts for your mental health and wellbeing.
To preview Dr. Doan’s graphic novel please visit the online exhibition. Kits for making your own sketchbook were sent to registrants via mail before the event. The kits contained instructions, paper, materials, and drawing tools for the event. We encouraged registrants to assemble the sketchbook before the event to begin the practice of wellbeing.
This event was hosted virtually and was free for all. Families were encouraged to register together.
About The Anxiety Project
For Dr. Doan, drawing, performing, and sharing have helped him – and others – cope. Therapeutic and alleviating symptoms, drawing, performing, and storytelling have helped Doan to imagine his mental health, rather than to be defined by mental illness. The Anxiety Project, invites others to draw for their mental health too. Available online and in-person The Anxiety Project is installed in HUB Gallery and is open daily 10:00 am – 6:00 pm through March 14. A program of Student Affairs, HUB-Robeson Galleries partners with students and contemporary artists to produce gallery exhibitions, public projects, artist residencies, educational programs, and cultural events. Our programs are Free for All, Always.
About Jana Marie Foundation
Jana Marie Foundation harnesses the power of creative expression and dialogue to spark conversations, build connections, and promote mental health and well-being among young people and their communities. The organization envisions communities working together to knock down walls and transform emotional distress into hope and resiliency. It is a great honor to partner with Medora Ebersole and the Center for the Performing Arts and HUB-Robeson Galleries on this program. Throughout the years, Jana Marie Foundation has closely followed the work of Bill Doan and his engaging way of igniting conversations about mental health and well-being. Dr. Bill Doan has supported the work of Jana Marie Foundation and has spoken and performed at the foundation’s annual dinner as well as at An Evening of Hope, Healing, and Remembrance (suicide prevention day). We are forever grateful for these partnerships.
