Emotions in Art
Heidi Manfred is using her kind heart and artistic skill to create conversation about mental health.
It’s an idea that came from another idea that stemmed from something else that turned into Emotions in Art, a large-scale art exhibition by Heidi Manfred now on display at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Altoona.
“Resentful” is a piece from Manfred’s Angry Collection of “Emotions in Art.”
Credit: Heidi Manfred
Back in 1999, Manfred enrolled at Penn State Altoona as an integrative arts major, but a lack of confidence in her ability and talent led to her pursuing a degree in human development and family studies instead. She is now an assistant teaching professor in that same degree program at the college. In addition, she is a licensed behavioral specialist and provides clinical consultations.
But she didn’t abandon art altogether. Or perhaps it’s that art didn’t abandon her. It has continued to be like a best friend, supporting and sustaining her through her life’s highs and lows. As someone who lives with a keen awareness of her own health challenges, Manfred has tapped into the power of creation as a means of outlet and survival.
That, coupled with her passion for helping others through their own behavioral and mental health journeys, was at the heart of a recent project; a therapeutic, emotion-based workbook which would examine one emotion through art each week for a year. While designing the book’s cover, Manfred was intrigued by a thought. What would it be like to paint those feelings onto canvases, to create her visual interpretation of emotions?
“Curious” is a piece from Manfred’s Confident Collection of “Emotions in Art.”
Credit: Heidi Manfred
She chose watercolor as her medium. “When I sat down, I would think of an emotion and try to conjure what it looked like to me. And I just let it come out through the paint.”
As she worked on those 5x5 inch paintings, she felt a stirring—that feeling artists get when they know they are on to something.
“Once I started, I just knew it was a good idea, and I thought, ‘oh my gosh, this needs to be bigger.’ I thought about what would make more of an impact. The answer was oil paintings, because they're fine art in the art world, and I wanted them to be huge.”
During the summer of 2022, Manfred worked out what size to make each piece, from 3x3 feet up to 6x6 feet.
“And then starting January 1 of 2023, I said, ‘alright, week one, baby, here we go.’” She got to work recreating each of those small watercolors into big oil paintings.
“Worried” is a piece from Manfred’s Sad Collection of “Emotions in Art.”
Credit: Heidi Manfred
Watching her own feelings take tangible form, Manfred had that stirring again. And another idea.
She reached out to Ann Benzel, vice president of the board of trustees for the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in downtown Altoona. Manfred briefly explained what she was working on, and Benzel set up a meeting between them and Hannah Hurley, director of SAMA. There, Manfred showed them what she had developed so far. She made her pitch, then heard what she was hoping she would: yes, there would be a full-scale gallery exhibition of her work.
For the next year, Manfred and the team at SAMA fleshed out the details of not only what the exhibit would look like, but what it could accomplish.
“We wanted to use the exhibition as community outreach and advocacy for emotional awareness and education. Of course, we also wanted it to be an inspiration for others to use art of any kind as an outlet for their own mental health.”
Building on those principles, Manfred developed a workshop based on the exhibit. Designed to be accessible for any age and population, it was piloted at Penn State’s 2024 Readiness Institute Summer Discovery program. There, Manfred led high school students in discussions about emotions and their intensities, then guided them in painting abstract totems depicting the emotions of their pasts, presents, and futures.
“Accepted” is a piece from Manfred’s Sad Collection of “Emotions in Art.”
Credit: Heidi Manfred
All the while, Manfred had to finish her own paintings—an endeavor that had quickly become expensive. She dipped into her savings account and picked up additional consulting hours to pay for canvasses, paint, and other supplies. With so much time, energy, and money invested, she pressed on, even when her old insecurities resurfaced.
She says it was trial and error making decisions about things like whether to add solvents or paint thinner to the paint, should she use a blow dryer to help the paint dry, or should she scrape the paint at any point.
The painting itself was no less of a process. She describes three phases of creation.
“There’s the initial part when you’re super excited. You have this beautiful idea, you can’t wait to get started, and when you do, everything looks great. Then comes the point where you mess up or hate how something looks, and you wonder why you even bothered, you say, ‘I’ll never paint another stroke again.’ That’s when you just have to sit in your own ugly self-doubt and push through. Then finally it all turns into this amazing thing.”
After nearly two years of cycling through those phases, Manfred had 52 finished oil paintings of various sizes representing her interpretations of various feelings. Emotions in Art was complete.
On Oct. 28, the exhibition, featuring 15 of the paintings, opened to an eager crowd of family, friends, and art enthusiasts.
“I'm excited and proud of the achievement, but at the same time, it's quite a vulnerable state to be in. Here I was inviting my closest friends and family and anybody from the community to look at and essentially judge something that comes from such a deep, literally emotional place.”
Community members take in the pieces from Heidi Manfred’s “Emotions in Art” exhibit at the Oct. 28 opening.
Credit: Heidi Manfred
Even with the flush of a successful opening and continuing exhibition, Manfred knows she has more to give with this project. She wants to expand the reach of her workshop in the area and is looking into various community organizations and counseling agencies. From kids to young adults, families, and senior citizens, a hands-on Emotions in Art can benefit every age.
“Research shows that engaging in a creative practice can lower levels of stress hormones. We're seeing longevity and greater overall satisfaction with life. These great things are coming from people finding a way to express themselves.”
As for the physical exhibit, there are still 37 paintings that weren’t included in the opening display at SAMA, which means several more could be set. The pieces are also transportable allowing for a large or small travelling exhibit to other museums, schools, or galleries. Further, Manfred is in the planning stages with the National Museum of Mental Health for Emotions in Art to be one of its online exhibits.
She is excited by the possibilities and a bit in awe of the process the brought her to this point.
“All the months of prepping and painting and planning—it was an epic challenge but so rewarding. I feel a sense of pride and accomplishment that I was able to achieve this.”
Manfred is also humbled by the opportunity to share the message of mental health and offer a safe space for conversation about it. She loves encouraging others to allow themselves a creative outlet to express themselves and their emotions.
She nudges them to see where they can go with their own work.
“Just put yourself out there. At the very least you have the satisfaction an idea and a finished product. In the best case, people are interested, you get your message out there, and it's fulfilling to you. No matter which way the coin flips, you won’t end up regretting that you just sat on a meaningful concept.”
Emotions in Art runs through Jan. 19, 2025, at SAMA. A portion of profits made from prints and other merchandise from the Emotions collection on Manfred’s website are donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
