Insights

Much of the pain of bipolar disorder is invisible to the outside world, hidden behind an outward appearance of physical health. But it is a serious, complex and debilitating mental illness without a cure – and those living with the condition often suffer in silence.

Through its annual juried art exhibition, Insights VIII, the Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation seeks to break down ongoing stigma around the disease and bring talent and hope to the forefront through remarkable artwork created by people with bipolar disorder.

Dusty Sang and Joyce Licht Sang established the foundation after they lost their only child, Ryan, to earlyonset bipolar disorder. Its mission is to foster awareness, understanding and research for the disorder. The Insights exhibit is a powerful public outreach event. This year, the foundation will partner with FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute (SNBI) to host the exhibit in collaboration with the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters at the Ritter Art Gallery on the FAU Boca Raton campus.

The theme of Insights VIII is Triumph of Light Over Darkness, homing in on each artist’s resilience in the face of adversity. The theme fits with SNBI’s initiative to launch the Center for the Resilient Mind, which will emphasize the human dimension of neuroscience.

“The Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute and Dr. Randy Blakely are at the epicenter of leading-edge neuroscience research. The nexus between the complexity of their scientific work and the public’s understanding of illnesses of the brain can be better understood by experiencing works of art by artists with bipolar disorder where a shared vision of science and the human condition speak volumes about the path ahead,” Dusty Sang said.

Read the press release: FAU Presents Insights VII Art Exhibition.