Deconstructing Stigma: Changing Attitudes About Mental Health is an international mental health awareness exhibit currently on display at Boston Logan Airport. The installation covers the entire 235-hallway that connects Terminal B and C on the Departure level and features photos and stories from more than 30 campaign participants, with each photo standing nearly 8 feet tall.
They are musicians and librarians, fashion designers, fitness instructors, actors, athletes, and artists. They are sisters and wives, brothers and fathers, from New England and around the nation. What do they have in common? All have been affected by mental illness and its stigma and have been brought together as part of Deconstructing Stigma.
Millions of visitors have seen the exhibit since its installation in December 2016. In October 2019, the exhibit was refreshed with 36 new volunteers, including those from our NAACP and Mumbai partnerships.
Sean, one of the first campaign participants, stands with his story on display.
“When people walk through this gallery, they’re going to see these images and realize that ‘wow, I know someone [with a mental health condition],’ or they are going to read the narratives and say ‘oh my, god, that’s me. This project is going to remove the guilt and shame, and then it’s going to remove the pain,” said Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, campaign participant and a founding member of the legendary hip hop group Run-DMC.
We are grateful to our collaboration with Boston Logan International Airport and the many staff members who have helped us to maintain the exhibit.
Launch Event: December 2016
Deconstructing Stigma: Changing Attitudes About Mental Health officially opened at Boston’s Logan Airport on Friday, December 9, 2016. In attendance were not only Marylou Sudders, secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, McLean Hospital President Scott L. Rauch, MD, and former Massport CEO Tom Glynn, but almost every single volunteer brave enough to share their story as part of the project.
Watch the video recap: