Accessing the Muse

Engaging in the arts provides artists, including those living and working with mental illness, to pursue their creative visions and to challenge the stigma that surrounds mental illness. Founded by Fountain House in 2000 as a not-for-profit exhibition space for its member-artists,

Fountain Gallery sells original artworks and collaborates with a wide network of artists, curators, and cultural institutions. Embracing artists who are emerging or established, trained or self-taught, Fountain House Gallery cultivates artistic growth and makes a vital contribution to the New York arts community.

Many of the artists featured here participate in Fountain Gallery, though not all.

City Voices’ field reporter and artist in her own right, Jenny Chan, interviewed five artists to feature here with the following questions:

1) What inspires you?
2) Is there a specific artwork you’ve made that you are most proud of? Why?
3) How did you start making art? Why do you think you make art?
4) What is your favorite artistic time period and why?
5) If you could display your work at any place or a museum where would it be and why?
This section contains photos of the artists, their bios, a selection of their artwork and their
responses to Jenny’s questions.