The Corridor Gallery is currently filled with artwork by members of the LINC and Waterville Social Clubs. The candid and original drawings and paintings in this exhibit reflect joy, pain, bemusement, despair, hope, passion, curiosity—the full range of human vision and responses. The work speaks from the heart, with graphic eloquence, intensity, and immediacy; it moves us to a deeper appreciation of both the uniqueness and the commonality of human experience. LINc and the Waterville Social Club are supported by Motivational Services, a non-profit mental health organization offering programs to meet the needs of people with severe and prolonged mental illness in Kennebec County, and funded by DHHS (Adult Mental Health Services- Peer Support Office) and United Way. Club activities include the art and writing classes, recreational and educational activities, cultural events, workshops on daily living skills, crafts projects, opportunities for volunteerism, and participation in the club’s advisory board.

Natasha Mayers, the curator of this exhibit, has been conducting art workshops at the LINC Club in Augusta and at the Waterville Social Club since 1981.

Daphne Deeds wrote about a similar exhibit in 2009:

The paintings and drawings assembled here (at the Great Outside, Camden, Maine) were created by artists who work outside the commercial and academic mainstreams. The complex world with which most artists contend entails finding a dealer, attracting the attention of the media, promoting themselves with collectors, curators and critics, while finding the time and space for making art. They must also be aware of myriad stylistic and intellectual trends, many of which are derived from art historical sources. In

contrast to their mainstream peers, these artists function without concern for the art market or art history. Instead, they deal with arduous mental and emotional disabilities that exempt them from professional pressures. They are untouched by what has been called “cultural contamination”. The result is that their art often reveals an unusual sincerity and an admirable ability to cope with serious limitations.

Art classes are provided by Motivational Services, Inc. at the Waterville and Linc Social Clubs. All the artists have discovered or revived remarkable artistic talent. The exceptional art teacher, Natasha Mayers nurtures their innate abilities while providing just enough direction to encourage their individuality. This exhibit is a testimony to the artists’ achievements, both artistically and personally. The subject matter ranges from humorous to insightful to profound, revealing the artists’ fantasies, fears and observations with an unmediated directness. Their disarming methods can be spontaneous, obsessive, meditative or inspirational. We respond to the work immediately because the artists have accomplished something we all seek – the revelation of the self.

Caption here