Multimedia arts celebration will honor May’s Mental Health Month through art, fashion and entertainment
West Palm Beach, FL–On the evening of May 5th, 2021, one hundred guests safely gathered at Delray Beach’s Arts Warehouse to celebrate the first “Express Yourself” Fashion Art Ball created by artist, journalist, and designer Deon C. Jefferson. The multimedia art and fashion evening showcased artwork inspired by mental health/behavioral health with a special concentration on COVID-19. The event was made possible through a grant from BeWellPBC, a countywide behavioral health initiative engaging residents, providers and systems to advance behavioral health and wellness.
Well, this year is the return of the Fashion Art Ball. This year’s event will be the signature event for the county-wide Get Your Green On Campaign. The GYGO campaign aims to raise awareness by creating visible support and fostering safe spaces to talk openly about mental health and trauma. Our sponsors for the Fashion Art Ball are BeWellPBC, NAMI of PBC, Healthier Delray Beach, Birth to 22, Palm Beach County Youth Services Department, United Way of PBC, and Children’s Services Council, just to name a few.
In 2021, mental health clothing brand Psyche Signature showcased their designs and sold them fresh off the runway after the show. Psyche Signature will be back to display their latest collection, along with creations from Deon C. Jefferson. One of the highlights of the event will be the artwork. For the last event, over 120 artists’ submissions were narrowed down to twenty-seven. This year’s sub-theme is SUPER – power, -hero, -visor, -ficial, -star, -supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, –or whatever it means to the artist. The art exhibition will be on view in the Back Room Gallery from May 5th – June 30th, 2023. There will also be various PBC organizations specializing in mental and behavioral health present with tables and information on their services.
Attendees can look forward to special performances from The Young Singers of The Palm Beaches, along with poetry from local artist Matthew Gibson. And so much more! There will also be special giveaways and a live DJ for dancing. Since the theme is Super, we are encouraging guests to wear their favorite superhero costume or create a new mental health superhero. Make sure to do your best, because the person who is “Best Expressed” will receive a special award. Each guest will pay no admission to attend. The event is free and open to the public.
“My vision was to marry fashion and the arts with mental health to see how we could be effective in raising awareness and open conversations,” said Jefferson. “It was beautiful to see so many people coming together to learn from one another and feel open and understood.”
