How can engaging in the creative process affirm the full humanity of those who are incarcerated, in legal trouble, or suffering from mental illness? In this panel, George Andrews (UVA Health), Nicolas Garnier (Divine Word University, Papua New Guinea), and Zora Heard (Fralin Museum of Art) share images and insights from their work making art with people in courts, jails, and hospitals in Charlottesville and Papua New Guinea.
This event is hosted by IHGC's Collaborative Curation Lab. Register by Monday, October 27th.
George Andrews is a painter and a psychotherapist who works at the intersection of art and mental health to amplify the benefits of creative expression. He is the clinician for the Charlottesville/Albemarle Therapeutic Docket through the Region Ten Community Service Board, and designs and implements the Recovery Model Art Project at the University of Virginia Medical Center, Inpatient Psychiatry. He has been an adjunct professor of art and art history at the University of Virginia SCPS continuously for the past 15 years.
Nicolas Garnier is a cultural anthropologist and visual artist who works on ritual and material culture. He served for seven years as chief curator for the Pacific and Insular Asia collections at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. Currently on sabbatical from this position, he has been working at the crossroad between anthropology, environmental sciences, and creative arts with communities in Madang and East Sepik Provinces in Papua New Guinea. He is also doing work in Papua New Guinea prisons.
Zora Heard is a museum educator and former classroom teacher. In her work at The Fralin Museum of Art, she designs programs for local students and educators that explore art as a tool for social connection, critical thinking, and restorative practice—both in the museum and in the classroom. Since 2023, Zora has been leading workshops at Blue Ridge Juvenile Detention, where she facilitates conversations, creative writing, and artmaking inspired by artwork on view at The Fralin.