Chronic illness, depression, stress and disease management are heady topics for the public, but artists in Alabama are making them more approachable through a merger of sculpture and science. Heads Up Alabama!, a traveling art installation and educational campaign created by the Alabama Psychological Association, is on tour in the state, showcasing 20 fiberglass heads decorated to reflect aspects of psychology.
The response from the artistic community was overwhelming, Alverson-Eiland says. “A lot of the artists took this very personally,” she says. “They took inspiration from their own lives.”
One head, titled “Out of Memory,” is covered in multicolored Post-it notes and references our modern culture’s pressing, stressing demands on our minds and memories, Alverson-Eiland says. Another, “The Calm Before the Storm,” features miniature birds roosting in a nest atop the head and the words “Home, sweet home” across its neck, and represents veterans returning from war.
The heads debuted in July at the Birmingham Public Library. After three weeks, the heads embarked on their current tour of Alabama cities, including Huntsville, Gadsden and Mobile.
The heads sit on pedestals that carry placards describing the psychological factors associated with the art. The striking visuals bring people in, Alverson-Eiland says, but they come away learning something about psychology. “Art really attracts people,” she says. “But they stick around to read the informational material.”
—M. Price
For more information, visit Heads Up Alabama.