events / Gatherings
‘Mind Matters’
Exhibit Kickstarts Important Mental Health Conversations
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f you’ve ever wished for a worry shredder, you’re in luck. You can find it in Fort Collins where it’s part of the Mental Health: Mind Matters exhibit on display at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery through January 2, 2022. “It’s the coolest thing. You get a piece of paper, write down your worries and then watch it all go away,” explains Laura Valdez, the executive director of the museum. “We run out of paper all the time. It’s a little thing, but it feels so liberating.” For one mother and her young daughter who visited recently, the shredder made the biggest impact. “We returned to the Museum of Discovery twice more just so we could shred more worries,” she wrote in a survey about the exhibit. The all-ages special exhibit debuted October 2020. Because of the restrictions in place at the time, Valdez knew that not everyone had a chance to experience it, which is why they brought it back. “It’s not often you get a do-over to make a deeper impact,” she says. “The exhibit is hopeful. We’ve received such positive feedback from people of all ages and backgrounds; people feel seen.” Along with the worry shredder, visitors can interact with hands-on experiences that help them understand mental illness in a deeper way. Listen as people share their personal experiences living with mental illness. Peer back in time to important moments in mental health history and hear how attitudes have changed over the years. Discover how activities like dancing, writing, and drawing can help people identify and express their emotions and, in turn, strengthen their mental health. You can even step into a living room to hear how a
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father’s depression affects the whole family, a powerful reminder of how mental illness impacts loved ones. Visitors are invited to share their own stories on note cards, which serve as powerful reminders that everyone is carrying an invisible load. With the idea that one conversation can make a difference, a section in the exhibit connects people with resources to help them improve their health, including conversation guides that provide a framework to continue talking beyond the exhibit, Valdez adds. Additionally, subject matter experts from SummitStone Health Partners, one of the exhibit’s many partners, are available to answer questions. Additionally, the rest of the museum boasts activities for all ages, including sensory exhibits, scavenger hunts, a special “tot spot” for littles, a Tornado Tube and the area history display. The permanent Music & Sound Lab explores the physics of sound, the history of the Fort Collins music scene and some of the technology behind everything from Edison wax cylinders to iPods. +
Presented in English, Spanish and French, see the Mind Matters exhibit Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through January 2, 2022. Tickets are available online at fcmod.org or at the door.
As the owner of SkyWrite Communications & Content, CARAMIE PETROWSKY crafts messages that resonate. She spent 12 years working as a journalist, including eight as the Vail Daily A&E Editor, before starting her own company, which focuses on strategic content creation and public relations.
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Photos courtesy of Fort Collins Museum of Discovery
By Caramie Petrowsky
