Join Nevada Humanities and Double Scoop for an important conversation about the many connections between art and mental health. Panelists will include Holly Hutchings, journalist and producer of the Art + Mental Health podcast; Manal Toppozada, founder and Executive Director of Note-Able Music Therapy Services; and artists Rob Garrett and Jessica Schimpf who will share their stories and perspectives about how art and mental health intersect in their own lives.
This event will be moderated by journalist Kris Vagner with a Q+A to follow. This event highlights Nevada Humanities’ mission to build just and healthy communities through conversation and connection and Double Scoop’s ongoing efforts to report on the intersections between visual arts and the social issues that matter to Nevadans.
Panelists featured in this event include:
Rob Garrett was born and reared in Reno, Nevada with no inclination of doing anything artistic or creative. He joined the Air Force straight out of high school in 1985, specializing in Aircraft Weapons Systems. When the military told him they would pay for a collegiate degree, he took a few art classes for the “easy” electives, but became hooked on the creative process during his first term. Garrett took seven years to earn a four-year Fine Arts degree from the University of Nevada, Reno. Upon graduation he started Garrett’s Picture Frames while maintaining his status in the Nevada Air National Guard. Garrett closed his business the day after Sept 11, 2001 to work full time for the military. Thus began a big, inadvertent pause in his art life. Medically retired now, he uses his art as personal therapy and believes art heals war wounds. He is as repurposed as his creations. Garrett began selling his objects under his business name “Wreck Ignition” at the Reno Town Mall and is actively engaged as a board member for the David J Drakulich Art Foundation.
Holly Hutchings loves documenting and telling stories. She has a knack for being curious, asking questions, and learning. She enjoys making the most out of her research and sharing the best version of the facts that she's learned. When Hutchings finds something great, she immediately wants to share it and wonders how she could spread the word about this new thing. She tries to honor people’s truths and respect what they want "out there," while telling a compelling tale. From 2017 to 2019, Hutchings worked as the arts and culture reporter for KUNR Public Radio in Reno. In her time there, she earned two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and two Associated Press Television and Radio Association awards for her reporting. She has been a freelance podcast producer for about five years, having created stories for many outlets, including the Grammar Girl Podcast, BBC Frontline, and the Double Scoop Podcast. Holly is thrilled to work with the Double Scoop Podcast again this summer as they join forces to share stories of artists across the state who make their craft while living with anxiety. She is a native Nevadan currently living in Reno with her husband and their sons.
Jessica Schimpf is a fine art glass blower who owns Mantra Glass Art in Reno, Nevada. Schimpf has been an established artist for over 12 years and has exhibited her work nationally through galleries and museums. Schimpf is a multi disciplined artist and has obtained a BFA degree in welding and casting bronze metal from the renowned Maryland Institute College of Art. Mantra Glass Art was established in 2010 after Schimpf graduated college.
Manal Toppozada is the founder and executive director of Note-Able Music Therapy Services. She has more than 25 years of experience as a therapist in hospital, forensic, education, addiction, and mental health settings. Toppozada is an internationally recognized authority on community-based music therapy and has presented on the topic throughout the United States and in Europe. She has received national recognition for her research on the impact of music therapy on depression, anxiety, and social isolation. Manal's current interests lie primarily in exploring how music can improve physical, social, and mental health. As a member of the Nevada State Music Therapy Task Force, Manal helped draft Senate Bill 190, which created a state license that oversees the profession of music therapy in Nevada. A professional violinist, Manal plays regularly with the Reno Philharmonic and is a patroness member of Sigma Alpha Iota Women's Music Fraternity. She also serves as adjunct faculty in the School of Public Health at the University of Nevada, Reno
Kris Vagner is the founder, editor, and executive director of Double Scoop, the statewide visual arts publication. She is a veteran Nevada arts journalist; former Arts Editor for the Reno News & Review; former writing instructor for the University of Nevada, Reno; a 2019 graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno’s MA in Media Innovations program, and a seven-time recipient of Nevada Press Association awards.
