2011 Brain Art Project Exhibition Highlights

In this edition, I would like to share some of the highlights and exciting moments from the Brain Art Exhibition which ended last Saturday 12th of March. We had a successful Launch Night with Dr. Evian Gordon, CEO of My Brain Solutions, who officially opened the Exhibition on Thursday 3rd.

Throughout the week we had special visitors come to visit the gallery and sign Julie Doye's "Interesting Minds" portraits, amongst them being, John Eales former captain of the Wallabies, Bruce Hopkins (Hoppo) from Bondi Rescue Star, Dr. Tanveer Ahmed psychiatrist and former foreign affairs television journalist for SBS and Australia's most renowned rock 'n' roll photographer, Tony Mott.

I also had the chance to meet one of the most well-known neuroscientists in the world, George Paxinos. Professor Paxinos was the first (together with Professor Charles Watson) to construct an atlas based on chemoarchitecture, which is the structure of the nervous system. Since then their journal “The Rat Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates” has become the most cited Neuroscience and Australian publication.

On a different note, a series of workshops were conducted by different speakers with great success, one of which included a lively and dynamic session called “All in the Mind” with Shelley Wilkins and her team of theatre@work. They put together a short play to explain how the brain of a new employee works. This was one of the clearest demonstrations of how to utilize Neuroscience concepts in the work environment.

Katharine McLennan, Executive General Manager for People & Performance from Commonwealth Bank, also supported our event by conducting a great talk on “Fearless Leadership”. This talk united a group of coaches, consultants and HR specialists who were eager to know how understanding the brain can develop better leadership capabilities.

It is impossible to write about each and every person who contributed to this event. However, I want to take this opportunity to thank all those involved in this leading edge event which has challenged the thinking of many.

Many people throughout the exhibition asked me; why is it important to use art to explain science? Why is understanding the brain important in business?" These concepts may sound poles apart. The reality is that art, business and what we do in life is the product of the different functions of our brains. The better we understand their potential, we can evolve into a more mature and balanced society.

The arts certainly has a big role to play. Since the beginning of time, we have communicated by making all sorts of impressions, from cave paintings to designing our own personal websites. Regardless of how we do it, human beings design and leave their own marks, whether it be verbal, visual or through objects.

These forms of expressions assist us to communicate who we are and what is important to us. In order to express ourselves we need creative thinking, meaning that everyone has the capacity to be creative (even if you don't think so). Being exposed to events such as The Brain Art Project Exhibition nurtures our creative brains. By doing so, we get in touch with our inner energy and passion, which we can then apply in our daily lives.

Seeing the happy faces of so many young artists whose artworks were being exhibited was rewarding in itself. Receiving the testimonials, compliments and messages of gratitude for organizing this exhibition was truly the cherry on the cake. Furthermore, it is our pleasure to announce the winners of the Brain Art Awards 2011.

Ben Partridge, a young man from Geelong for the Junior Category and Rachele Wiggins, from Sydney for the Senior Category. Their artworks were a clear demonstration of hard work, creativity and talent.

Once again, thank you everyone who came to the Launch and Awards Nights. We gathered more than 1,000 people on both nights. This has been the experience of a lifetime and we hope to repeat it in the future.