At Face Value
Portraits of the Living Museum
“At Face Value” is a collection of portraits documenting the community at the Living Museum, a massive, vibrant artist space on the grounds of the state-run Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, in Queens Village, NY. The Living Museum was founded in 1983 by Bolek Greczynski, an artist, and Dr. Janos Marton, a psychologist, to provide studio and exhibition space for artists diagnosed with mental illness. Since then, its success has been emulated in Living Museums around the world.
Since 2017, I have been volunteering at the Living Museum, assisting the artists. Simultaneously, I have been photographing these artists and the volunteers and staff who work alongside them. “At Face Value” is permanently on view at the Living Museum. Currently an installation of over 60 images, these portraits reflect the character of the community there with compassion, admiration and, above all, truthfulness.
Living Museum Paul’s Interview - rough cut