20 million people in the United States suffer from depression each year. Depression has even been called “the common cold of mental illness.” Yet only 1 person in 3 seeks treatment. And more than 30,000 Americans commit suicide annually.Given these statistics, we have much to do to educate ourselves and each other about the myths and truths of serious depression and how we heal.

Because art can reach and teach us in ways that purely intellectual interventions cannot, two artists who have “been there” have collaborated to create a touring exhibit of photographs and poems that offers hope and honors both the pain and the transforming possibility of depression.