Home » PhotoVoice

The Art of Being Human takes to City Hall

Tuesday 8 September 2026: One of the most anticipated art shows each year, the MindFrame PhotoVoice Exhibition, opens on Friday 11 September at the Bermuda Society of Arts.

The annual exhibition showcases the work of Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute clients who choose to take part and some artists from other programmes. The work fills the main gallery of the Bermuda Society of Arts and features a variety of works in different media, including, watercolour, oil painting, acrylic, pastels, sketches and photography on this year’s theme: The Art of Being Human.

Bermuda Hospitals Board art therapist Rhiannon Fletcher explains: “This year, clients and community members voted on the theme: The Art of Being Human. There was an excitement and freedom surrounding expressing their humanness, however it may show up. Art is a powerful tool to help discover and release emotion, and to make meaning of oneself and the world. The artwork created for this year’s show reflects both individual experiences and our shared humanity.”

BHB Acting CEO and Chief of Nursing Judy Richardson says: “We’re honoured to offer the opportunity to our MWI clients, and others in our community with mental health challenges, to exhibit their work.

“Research shows that this helps people to build up their self-esteem and feel valued by those they know and the wider community. It also gives the public an avenue to purchase work they may not otherwise have been able to see and to engage with the artists.”

This year there are 100 artists exhibiting a total of 150 pieces. Some of the work is available for purchase and most of the artists will be  on hand.

Client Rosharondra Trott says art journaling saved her voice. In her poem Why Mindframe Matters, she shares her experience and explains how it’s helped her.

Below is an excerpt from the poem.

“Art journaling through Mindframe has been my healing journey, and I’m grateful.

Here’s why it’s a must — not just for me, but for anyone who’s ever felt silenced:

  1. It’s a tool to help. When words get stuck in trauma, color doesn’t. When talking feels like danger, paint feels like safety. Dot by dot, I’m coming back to myself.
  2. It’s a tool to express myself. My brown hand with pink nails and a purple sleeve remembers what it means to be alive. On canvas I can be messy. I can be lots of paint. I don’t have to be “neat” or “small” or “fine.”
  3. It gives me hope. Every painting is proof: I didn’t quit. The robot hand said “destroy it.” The human hand said “keep going.” Hope is a wet brush that still moves.
  4. It gets my voice out there. For years trauma stole my voice. Through MindFrame, my voice is on a wall. The Art of Being Human isn’t just a title — it’s a declaration. People will see it. They will feel it.
  5. It’s a way I’m heard. I’m not “a case” or “a file” here. I’m Dr. Ro. I’m seen. My story matters. My pain has color now, and color can’t be ignored.

This is more than an art show. It’s a lifeline. “

MindFrame PhotoVoice runs from 11 September to 6 October 2026 at the Bermuda Society of the Arts gallery, located on the top floor of City Hall. Admission is free to the public. The gallery is open from 10am-4pm Monday to Friday and 10am-2pm on Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays.

The public is invited to the opening event on Friday 11 September from 5pm–7pm.

-ends

8 September 2026 Home Page, News

Make Nature A Part Of Your Everyday Life – Mental Health Awareness Week 2021

Monday 4 October 2021: Bermuda Hospitals Board and its Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute invite the public to join them this week in celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week. The theme this year is Nature – It’s Part of Your Everyday Life.

“Mental health is important to each and every one of us, not just those of us who have a mental health ailment,” said Health Minister Kim Wilson.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused us to focus on our mental health a bit more than we would normally. This is good. We are all, I believe, more open to discovering and adopting ways to protect and build resilience for our mental wellbeing.

“This week we, the Government, would like the entire community to connect with nature- perhaps in new ways and to notice how this makes them feel – perhaps you feel calmer, less anxious or just feel that you are in a better mood.

“Connecting with nature is easy to incorporate in your everyday life – you can have your lunch in one of the parks, tend to your house plants, listen to birds, smell flowers, write poetry about nature, hug a tree,  or enjoy walking or running along our beautiful railway trails and pristine beaches. Enjoy the slightly cooler temperatures and have a picnic with your children.

“This week, we ask you to do 3 things: – experience nature, share nature on social media and talk about nature. In other words, for this week: Make Nature a Part of Your Everyday Life.”

BHB Acting Chief of Psychiatry Dr Anna Neilson-Williams said: “There is growing research that shows a correlation between being in nature and improvement in mental wellbeing. Time in nature has been shown to reduce stress hormones, lower blood pressure, reduce nervous system arousal, increase self-esteem, reduce anxiety and improve mood.”

“A UK survey this year coordinated by the UK Mental Health Foundation, found that 59% of the respondents felt going for a walk outside helped them cope with stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic and 50 percent felt that just being able to visit green space helped them,” said BHB Acting Chief Operating Officer and VP of Clinical Operations – MWI, Preston Swan.

“This shows that even small amounts of time in nature can reduce feelings of social isolation and be effective in protecting your mental health,” he added. “BHB invites the public to tune into The Daily Hour on Facebook from 8am-9am on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week to learn about how nature can impact mental health in different age groups.

“We also encourage the public to make a point of being in nature this week and to notice the positive impact this has on their mood and mental wellbeing.”

MWI’s annual MindFrame PhotoVoice exhibition which features artwork from MWI clients, opened on Friday 24 September at the Bermuda Society of Arts in City Hall. The exhibition is free to the public and runs until 13 October.

4 October 2021 News

Mental health poetry competition launched for young people

3 October 2018: Bermuda Hospitals Board today announces the launch of a poetry competition ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week in October. Young people between the ages of 12 and 18 are being invited to write poems of up to 26 lines for the theme ‘Mental Health and Young People in a Changing World’. The poetry competition is free to enter, and there will be gift certificate prizes.

The competition opens today and the deadline is Tuesday 16 October 2018. Winners will be announced on Friday 19 October at the launch of the MindFrame PhotoVoice Exhibition at the Bermuda Society of Arts, an exhibition of photographs and art by people who use services at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute.

Natasha Lisa Kalloo, Registered Mental Health Nurse in Child & Adolescent Services and member of the Mental Health Awareness Week Committee, comments: “The theme is Mental Health and Young People in a Changing World. During Mental Health Awareness Week we will talk about a number of issues impacting young people, but we wanted our young people in Bermuda to have a voice too. This poetry competition gives a creative way for them to speak about life in their own words and how it impacts their mental health – what makes them happy, sad, anxious, or depressed, for example and how they manage these emotions.

“There is no entry fee, and we want to encourage individual as well as school entries. We hope schools will see this competition as a way to talk about mental health and how it impacts their students, and that writing poetry is a way for them to communicate thoughts, feelings and events that may be challenging.”

Mental Health Awareness Week Poetry Competition Rules

Mental Health Awareness Week Poetry Competition flyer

3 October 2018 Home Page, News