OREANDA-NEWS. MIA's latest art installation, Outsider Art: Selections from the NAEMI Art Collection, features works by artists from National Art Exhibitions of the Mentally Ill (NAEMI), a Miami-based organization dedicated to discovering, studying, promoting, exhibiting and preserving the art of those struggling with mental illness throughout the world.

"We are proud to partner with NAEMI to showcase this unique artwork and heighten awareness about those suffering with mental illness," said Dr. Yolanda Sanchez, MIA Fine Arts & Cultural Affairs Division Director. "Outsider artists typically make art because they have no choice; it is how they sustain themselves, the only way they can live. The work is important as it is validates the human drive for creativity, regardless of intelligence, psychological or developmental condition, and attests to the ability to transcend limitations and to heal."

These works are produced by individuals who are usually self-taught and reflect a unique and innate personal expression of the world around us. Despite the fact that these artists work outside art world trends and conventions, Outsider Art is now an important component of contemporary art. Large collections around the world and museums such as The American Visionary Museum in Baltimore are, specifically dedicated to this genre. This exhibit continues the mission of the Fine Arts and Cultural Affairs Division to present works that engage and challenge the public's perception of art.

Through public exhibitions such as this one, NAEMI further seeks to educate the public about this art and to aid in overcoming and dispelling any negative bias associated with the circumstances of its production, affirming the positive power and importance of the creativity of individuals experiencing mental illnesses.