• The 'Trust the Hours' exhibit combines art and poetry to explore mental health experiences.
• Rochester poet laureate Jean Prokott organized the exhibit to help people reflect on and express their inner struggles.
• The exhibit aims to reduce the stigma around mental health and promote open conversations.

The 'Trust the Hours' exhibit at the Chateau Theatre in Rochester, Minnesota, showcases art and poetry reflecting personal and collective experiences with mental illness. Organized by Jean Prokott, the exhibit features local artists and writers who use their work to unpack difficult emotions and promote understanding. The exhibit aims to create a space for dialogue and reduce the stigma associated with mental health challenges.

• What: The 'Trust the Hours' exhibit combines art and poetry to explore mental health experiences.
• Who: Jean Prokott (organizer), Nicholas Breutzman (graphic novelist), Wanjala Carlson (poet), Jessalyn Finch (sculptor).
• When: The exhibit is on display through June 7.
• Where: Chateau Theatre in Rochester, Minnesota.

The 'Trust the Hours' exhibit highlights the power of art and poetry as tools for processing and expressing complex emotions related to mental health. By featuring diverse voices and experiences, the exhibit aims to create a more inclusive and understanding community. The inclusion of artists like Jessalyn Finch, who openly addresses her eating disorder through her sculpture, demonstrates the exhibit's commitment to candid conversations and stigma reduction. The exhibit's focus on personal narratives fosters empathy and encourages viewers to reflect on their own experiences and those of others.

Creating work knowing like this is to reflect what I'm going through right now...it's a way to unpack what's happening inside of you that you can't always express.

Some memories are really just difficult to kind of think about especially when you're kind of getting into the kind of minute details...It can be really kind of difficult to dig up these things. But essentially, you know, it helped me process all of this.

It is a cardboard sculpture that has some jaw bones and a torso. And it's really about this when you have an eating disorder. For me, specifically [it’s] the play between eating food and letting your body eat itself.

If we can come back to, ‘How do we take care of ourselves?’ That's like the biggest way we can connect with each other.

The 'Trust the Hours' exhibit offers a unique and important platform for exploring mental health through artistic expression. By showcasing the works of local artists and poets, the exhibit promotes dialogue, reduces stigma, and encourages viewers to connect with themselves and others on a deeper level. The exhibit's availability through June 7 provides an opportunity for the Rochester community to engage with these important themes and contribute to a more understanding and supportive environment.