The community is invited to join Jiffy Lube of Indiana at Indy Reads Books, Wednesday, June 21, for a Mental Health Awareness Event. Seattle-based graphic novelist, Ellen Forney, will discuss her memoir “Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me.” A panel discussion will also include Kimberly Comer of NAMI Indiana and Dave Combs of the Department of Public Words. Ellen will be available for a book signing after the discussion.
Prior to the discussion, attendees can participate in a community mural painting project, helping to bring to life a mural designed by Ellen Forney. When finished, the mural will be installed at the Jiffy Lube of Indiana location at 82nd and Allisonville Road.
Mental Health Awareness Event presented by Jiffy Lube of Indiana
Indy Reads, 40 E St Clair St, Indianapolis
Wednesday, June 21
6:00 – 8:00 pm: Community Mural Painting
8:00 – 9:00 pm: Panel Discussion with Graphic Novelist, Ellen Forney
Free to attend. Tickets available here.
“We’re all very excited to bring mental health awareness to the public in this big, visible, and permanent way. Our message to the community is, ‘Hello, everyone! Be aware of this issue.” To the people who are dealing with mental illness themselves, we want to spread the message, “YOU ARE NOT ALONE.’ The icing on the cake is that this supports NAMI, a respected national organization who does this work every day of the year,” Ellen Forney, Author and Artist.
Megan Jefferson, Grants Director for the Department of Public Words added, “The highly visible final location of this large community art project is a great opportunity to facilitate discussions that will help us all better understand one another. We’re excited to work on this Jiffy Lube of Indiana project with the very talented, award winning author and artist, Ellen Forney.”
The event is presented by Jiffy Lube of Indiana in partnership with the Department of Public Words, Indy Reads Books, and NAMI Indiana. The mural painting is part of Jiffy Lube of Indiana’s “Every Part Matters” public art project that gives back to the community by showcasing artwork on the exterior of Jiffy Lube buildings. The murals are designed by artists and painted by Central Indiana community members before being installed. Artist Ellen Forney is a cousin of Jiffy Lube of Indiana owner, Steve Sanner. The Department of Public Words is an essential part of this collaboration, helping to source, plan, prepare, and install the artwork.
This event is FREE. However, suggested donations of $5 or more will be evenly split between Indy Reads and the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) Indiana. Individuals interested in attending can get their free ticket here.
About Seattle Graphic Novelist Ellen Forney
Ellen Forney is the author of New York Times bestselling graphic memoir, “Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me,” which has been translated into six languages. She collaborated with Sherman Alexie on National Book Award winning novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is a MacDowell Colony fellow, and has given talks and lectures at universities and conferences around the world. As a visual artist, she was selected to create two permanent large-scale murals for the entries of Sound Transit’s Capitol Hill light rail station. She teaches comics at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle.
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