Mental Health: Mind Matters
It's time to talk about mental illness.
On view May 7, 2022 to July 31, 2022
Inside the Exhibition
Mental Health: Mind Matters uses immersive experiences and multimedia activities to provide a respectful, informative, engaging place where substantive learning, conversations, and fun social interactions can occur surrounding the topic of mental health.
In 2020, one in five adult Texans experienced a mental health concern. And one in four children will experience a mental illness during their childhood. Yet misunderstanding of mental illness often leads to lack of treatment and needless suffering. Mental illness can happen to anyone, it is treatable, and it is important for us as a society to talk about it.
In the exhibition, visitors explore how mental illness has been treated in the past, put themselves in the shoes of people living with mental illness, and use full-body activities to learn about healthy recognition and expression of emotions.
This exhibition is tri-lingual in English, Spanish, and French.
Introduction to and History of Mental Illness and Treatment
Peer into toy theater sets depicting how attitudes toward people with mental illnesses have varied over time, and see how treatments for mental illnesses have changed dramatically and continue to evolve.
Build Empathy
Experiences throughout the exhibition help visitors understand what some people who live with mental illnesses may experience, encouraging respect and acceptance.
Express Yourself
Identifying and expressing emotions helps us better understand ourselves and others. Visitors can participate in interactive activities to discover how artistic activities can help us identify and express our emotions and strengthen our mental health.
Resources
Learn about the importance of asking for help, and being supportive of those who do. A resource center highlights the different types of health care professionals that can offer help for mental health concerns, and provides tips for how to use more supportive language when talking about mental illnesses.
Old Cures: See how noted experts in ancient Greece, Medieval times, or the 1800s treated depression and schizophrenia.
Mental Health Quiz: Visitors test their knowledge about mental health and mental illness in this screen-based, multi-player quiz.
Hearing Voices: In a small room, visitors are immersed in a safe simulation of psychosis. As visitors are bombarded with negative voices, they are challenged to test their memory or see how quickly they can solve a puzzle.
My Life: Listen to the experiences of several people talking about living with mental illnesses and managing their mental health. Topics include anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, and eating disorders.
Recognize the Emotion: Visitors act out an emotion using facial expressions. Can other visitors correctly recognize the expressed emotion?
Are You Afraid?: This motion-based, multiplayer game immerses visitors in a dark forest, with pairs of eyes appearing behind different trees and bushes. Players try to survive until dawn by swiping their hands in front of the eyes to keep too many pairs from appearing at the same time.
Worry Shredder: Write down your worries, problems, or anxieties and watch as the worry shredder dramatically destroys the papers and drops them into a large transparent container.
H-E-B Free First Sunday
Sunday, May 1, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Take care of yourself and others during Mental Health Awareness Month with hands-on activities to ease your mind, body, and soul.
Little Texans
Thursday, May 12, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Big Feelings: Show off your big feelings as we dance, paint, and sing.
Speak Up!
Thursday, May 19, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
$30 members, $40 general admission
In partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, discover the history of mental health care in Texas, its evolution over the years, and inspirational plans of action that will impact the future of public health, through a moderated conversation with Dr. King Davis.
Mental Health Toolkit
Saturday, May 21, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Drop in for a mental health toolkit activity in the gallery with volunteers from NAMI Central Texas.
High Noon Talk: No Color is My Kind
Wednesday, June 1, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Dr. Thomas R. Cole will speak about his book, No Color is My Kind, about Elderwey Stearns, a civil rights leader whose story was almost lost to bipolar affective disorder.
H-E-B Free First Sunday
Sunday, June 5, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Meet new friends from local organizations that focus on mental health and awareness.
Little Texans
Thursday, June 9, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Calm: Kick off the season with calming activities to keep the peace during the hot summer days.
Summer Family Programs: Tween Art Journaling with Heidi Lowell
Thursday, June 16, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Express your big emotions creatively in this reflective class.
Summer Family Programs: Lend a Hand with Alex George
Thursday, June 23, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Create a collaborative art piece to support mental health and wellness.
Texas Focus Film Series: Ernie and Joe: Crisis Cops
Wednesday, June 29, 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
$8 members, $12 general admission
An intimate portrait of two Texas police officers who are helping change the way police respond to mental health calls.
Experiential Workshop: Whole Brain Learning
Saturday, July 16, 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Presented with Austin ISD, this workshop will bring educators and caregivers together to connect with one another on how to shape the mental health of their children.
Summer Family Programs: Connect the Dots with Juliet Whitsett
Thursday, July 21, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Play and create a fun, colorful art piece.
Mental Health Toolkit
Saturday, July 30, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Drop in for a mental health toolkit activity in the gallery with volunteers from NAMI Central Texas.
Change the Conversation | Cambia la Conversación
Learn tips for how to start the conversation about Mental Health with a friend or family member. Available in English and Spanish.
NAMI Central Texas Crisis Cards | Recursos Para Crisis De Salud Mental
A wallet-sized card including contact numbers for local and national mental health helplines. Available in English and Spanish.
For immediate help:
- Central Texas Area: 1-800-841-1255
- From anywhere in Texas: Text NAMI to 741741
- Call 911: Ask the operator for an officer trained to assist people experiencing a psychiatric emergency
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- Farm & Rural Helpline: 1-833-897-2474
- Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 or text 838255
- Hard of hearing? Contact the Lifeline via TTY by dialing 1-800-799-4889
Mental Health: Mind Matters was produced for North America by the Science Museum of Minnesota in collaboration with Heureka: The Finnish Science Centre.
Sponsored by The Albert and Ethel Herzstein Hall Fund.
The Bullock Museum, a division of the Texas State Preservation Board, is funded by Museum members, donors, and patrons, the Texas State History Museum Foundation, and the State of Texas.
Media Contact
| General Inquiries | |
|---|---|
| 512-463-5424 | |
Press Releases
Bullock Museum and NAMI Central Texas to co-host Speak Up! event on mental health
May 12, 2022 (Austin, Texas) -- The Bullock Museum and NAMI Central Texas will host a discussion about mental health on Thursday, May 19, 2022 from 6 pm to 9 pm. Speak Up! will feature a moderated conversation with Dr. King Davis, former executive director at the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health and current lead on the Austin State Hospital Archives Project. View Press Release