The HAI Studio began in 1994 at HAI’s office on 42nd Street, when art tables were crammed into a little conference room, and easels lined the hallways. After HAI moved to its spacious Soho loft, the program blossomed into a full studio. A second session was recently added to accommodate a waiting list of over 50 consumers. Artist Frank Palazzolo has led the program for 16 years. Palazzolo finds time to create and exhibit his own art, and he recently completed a stint in the innovative Exit Art exhibit “The Studio Visit,” where he spent months making art in their very public space. Frank is as passionate about providing continuity of opportunities for mental health consumers to create art, as he is about creating his own art.

Maureen Pharaon drew her “Wizard” on an eMac using a stylus and tablet, working in a digital paint program.

Program participants at work in the HAI Computer Lab

The success of the HAI Studio was enhanced two years ago with the award of a National Endowment for the Arts grant, which funded a computer lab and another professional artist, David Zackin, specializing in media arts. Zackin’s expertise in developing visual images and animation on the computer has captured participants’ imagination to use new technologies. Another consumer spoke about the value of the HAI program: “In 1996, when I started attending the Studio, it kept me stable and provided a social network. It let me express myself outside of day treatment and therapy. It allows me to exhibit and sell my work. It has been available every week, even through the September 11th tragedies; I can’t imagine not having the studio all of these years. I sincerely believe it is one of my resources that has kept me out of the psych ward since 1998.”

Arts Workshops
Year Began: 1970’s
Workshops provide hands-on experiences in music, dance, drama, visual and electronic arts for people with disabilities. The program presently serves adults with serious and persistent mental illness, developmental disabilities, children with special needs and homeless families. Professional artists lead workshops at nursing homes, day treatment programs, residences, shelters, after-school and respite programs.

Arts Education
Year Began: 2001
HAI is a vendor to the New York City Department of Education. The program provides professional development for teachers to use the arts in their general classrooms and workshop residencies for students in music, dance/movement, theater, puppetry, storytelling and the visual arts. HAI specializes in bringing the arts to special education classrooms. Residencies take place in all five
boroughs.

Saturday Studio
Year Began: 1994
Attendance at the Saturday Studio is at an all-time high. About 60 people from mental health programs or residences attend every Saturday. The participants' dedication to making art is shown by their steady attendance and their frequent comments that their art making is an essential component of continued mental stability and well-being. The Studio is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Gallery at HAI
Year Began: 1998
HAI exhibits art by self-taught artists with mental disabilities. Emphasis is placed on artists who participate in HAI workshops, including the internationally recognized Outsider Artists of HAI. Juried exhibits present artists from across North America. HAI also makes the Gallery available to other nonprofit arts organizations.