#Willard Suitcases Project

[mariocki]

Donald Sutherland guest stars as the easy living Willard, a college friend of McGill - and a rare glimpse into his early life - in Man in a Suitcase: Day of Execution (1.3, ITC, 1967)

[willardsuitcases]

Link to the Symposium

Link to the Symposium

Margaret D. Hi Everyone, here’s the link to the Saturday symposium. Starts at 1:00 PM this Saturday the 19th March. I’ll be speaking fairly early on, just after Craig Williams talks about the history of Willard. Check it out if you can. It should be amazing. https://sjfc.zoom.us/j/94378687995.

[fyeahwaywardvictorians]

Mlle. Madeline #22040

“ Madeline became increasingly drawn to the world of the occult, which seemed to alienate friends, co-workers, and employers. According to her file, her employers considered her "odd, tactless, and domineering." Unable to find steady work during the Depression, Madeline was referred to the Emergency Work Bureau. They found her unemployable, and referred her for outpatient mental health treatment; this led to her 1931 admission to the psychiatric unit at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan.”

“ A constant refusal to submit defines Mlle. Madeline's hospital experience. She clearly assumed that her voluntary admission to Bellevue would be temporary, and never expected to be shipped off to Willard in 1939 after passing through Central Islip and Kings Park State Hospitals on Long Island. While at Central Islip, Madeline fiercely stated, "I want out of here immediately. I think it is an outrage to be brought here." In 1965, she was still demanding her release. Records indicate that she told a staff member, "I don't like this hospital. I resent being detained and wasting my time." Madeline was given antipsychotic drugs in the mid-1950s. She developed what later came to be known as tardive dyskinesia (TD), a debilitating movement disorder caused by the drugs. In 1970, her file states that she had "fidgety movements, rigid stances, facial grimaces," which they did not ascribe to the medications. Instead, they prescribed "attitude therapy" to get her to stop making facial grimaces. At the age of 79, Mlle. Madeline #22040 was sent to a private board and care facility near the hospital. She died in October 1986 in Seneca County at the age of 90. Her burial place is unknown.”

(More info at the link above.)      

[farawayfiction]

An interview with the photographer of the Willard Asylum Suitcase project, Jon Crispin.

[anniekoh]

mind and materiality

Willard Suitcases

In 1995, the New York State Office of Mental Health closed the Willard Psychiatric Center in Willard, NY. It would eventually become a state-run drug rehabilitation center for prisoners. A Willard employee, Bev Courtwright, was given the task of going through all of the psych center buildings to determine what should be salvaged. She unlocked an attic door behind which was a collection of over 400 suitcases containing the possessions of former patients. The cases had been put into storage when their owners were admitted to Willard sometime between 1910 and 1960. And since the facility was set up to help people with chronic mental illness, most of these folks never left, and many were buried in the cemetery across the road.

Craig Williams acquired the cases for the New York State Museum and they were placed in the permanent collection. I first saw them in 2003 at an exhibit in the Museum where a small number of the suitcases were displayed. It was very moving to read the stories of these people, and to see objects from their lives before they became residents of Willard, and I was determined to photograph more of these cases so others could experience what I felt.

In 2011, the Museum gave me the incredible opportunity to begin this project. These objects open a small window into the lives of some of the people who lived at the facility, and I am determined to share them with as many people as possible. 

[Gallery of Suitcases]

Via Dr. Jacqueline Antonovich @jackiantonovich· Feb 23 On Tuesday in my History of Disability class, we're diving into the troubling and complicated history of asylums. We'll be using the Willard Suitcase Project to grapple with the histories of people who were institutionalized. https://willardsuitcases.com

[30minutenovel]

In 1995, Willard Psychiatric Center closed its doors, giving employee Bev Cartwright the task of sorting through more than 400 suitcases left behind by patients admitted between 1910 and 1960.

The scant belongings assembled together became works of art, revealing so much about their owners—or do they?

What might your possessions suggest about you when you're gone? Will they leave an accurate impression?

For more about the project, visit http://www.willardsuitcases.com/.

[unearthlyupstate]

Location: Hayt Corners, NY 14521

Sources for the show:

Madigan, Rita, et al. “Willard Asylum for the Insane: Steward's Report 1900.” Social Welfare History Project, 13 Mar. 2018, socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/eras/willard-asylum-insane-stewards-report-1900/.

“The Most Haunted Places in Upstate New York, NY.” Haunted Rooms America, www.hauntedrooms.com/top-11-haunted-places-upstate-new-york-ny.

Ugc. “Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane.” Atlas Obscura, Atlas Obscura, 20 Sept. 2016, www.atlasobscura.com/places/willard-asylum-for-the-chronic-insane.

“Willard Asylum Suitcases.” Willard Asylum Suitcases, www.willardsuitcases.com/.

“Willard Drug Treatment Campus.” Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, doccs.ny.gov/location/willard-drug-treatment-campus.

“Willard State Hospital.” Willard State Hospital - Asylum Projects, www.asylumprojects.org/index.php/Willard_State_Hospital.

www.facebook.com/ExploringUpstate. “An Inside Tour of 'Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane' - Ovid, NY.” Exploring Upstate, 1 Sept. 2019, exploringupstate.com/willard-asylum-ovid-ny/.

Music:

Cattails Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Ghost Dance Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

[stfumras]

In 1995, the New York State Office of Mental Health closed the Willard Psychiatric Center in Willard, NY. It would eventually become a state-run drug rehabilitation center for prisoners. A Willard employee, Bev Courtwright, was given the task of going through all of the psych center buildings to determine what should be salvaged. She unlocked an attic door behind which was a collection of over 400 suitcases containing the possessions of former patients. The cases had been put into storage when their owners were admitted to Willard sometime between 1910 and 1960. And since the facility was set up to help people with chronic mental illness, most of these folks never left, and many were buried in the cemetery across the road.

Craig Williams acquired the cases for the New York State Museum and they were placed in the permanent collection. I first saw them in 2003 at an exhibit in the Museum where a small number of the suitcases were displayed. It was very moving to read the stories of these people, and to see objects from their lives before they became residents of Willard, and I was determined to photograph more of these cases so others could experience what I felt.

In 2011, the Museum gave me the incredible opportunity to begin this project. These objects open a small window into the lives of some of the people who lived at the facility, and I am determined to share them with as many people as possible. You can see the genesis of my approach to this documentation on my wordpress site, here and here. If you would like to watch the Kickstarter video, click here.

The second Kickstarter is now up.  Check it out here.

– Jon Crispin

If you haven’t seen this, you need to see this 

[koffeefrkeleven]

I’ve been aware of Darby Penney’s work documenting the lives of patients of Willard Hospital for a number of years now. I first learned of the hospital suitcases project from the exhibit at the State Museum and it eventually launched my interest in the state hospital system, the kirkbride plan, and all the topics that discussed in my 2010 thesis. I’m always grateful to the previous generation of peers and ex-patient movement who showed us the way, (we, as in peers who entered the system in the 1990′s and 2000s after the era of deinstitutionalization). We had no direct experience of the state hospitals that were whole cities unto themselves, it was incredible to share a room with, and listen to Darby Penney. Our hospitals were smaller places, --and somewhat meaner --they lacked both the archaic horrors of “treatment” the old state hospitals are reviled for, but also the high-minded ideas of “moral treatment” and the stunning landscapes and architecture of the era of hospitals preceding it. All lacked the funding to implement the most progressive modes of care in those eras. It was a great talk, with lively discussion afterwards. Some photos for people who missed it.

[interdisciplinary-pt2]

Critical evaluation

During the first week of this module, I was in a group to design an art school of the future based on sustainability. This challenged me as we had a lot of difficulties finding our roles within the group and not everyone was present on some of the days. Despite this, I feel that it was a good opportunity to make connections across the college and explore ideas in ways I hadn't before thanks to the different perspectives that people from other courses brought. I had the chance to look into and experiment with the idea of sustainability within an institution which I enjoyed as this is a passion of mine. I think that as a result of this my research skills have developed in a direction I hadn’t imagined, as the style was much more scientific than what I’ve done before. I was also challenged during the presentation at the end of the week as public speaking is not something I am particularly confident in and I feel that my nervousness got in the way of really presenting the work. This is something I hope to improve at over time. Overall, I’m happy with the research and work that I produced, in spite of the slightly more challenging group organisation.

I really enjoyed going to woodwork and learning to make the bags as I was introduced to a wide range of equipment and techniques that I know I can use in the future for costume and prop making. I feel confident now going to that department and asking Martyn if I need any help or advice about a project. I liked that we had a lot of creative freedom to decorate our bags and that we could produce something more conceptual to communicate the story of our characters. I’m pleased with the experimental techniques that I used to decorate my bag and feel a sense of achievement knowing that I can assemble things such as buckles by myself.

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy learning about wirework as much as I did, and I now feel relatively confident going down there to ask for help with work; something I know will benefit me in the future when making more sculptural costumes and props. I’m really happy with the outcome of the decoration on the wings. I initially intended to cover entirely with paper feathers, but I quickly realised that this wasn’t achievable with the time that I had. After adding the craft feathers I realised that this produced a much nicer look than if I had gone with my original idea, but it still retains the ideas I was trying to communicate.

The research into the patients of Willard Asylum was very interesting and seeing the objects the left behind makes me appreciate that these were just people. After choosing my suitcase I did extensive research on Rodrigo. L, discovering details about his amazing life. After this, I found it difficult to separate what parts I wanted to include and which I would be more creative with. After Natalie’s workshop on building a character, I decided I wanted to use a character I had created in one of the 10-minute exercises we did that involved being given one of the suitcases and having to create a character based on the objects inside. I loved creating my character, Flore, as I feel that she is a person I can relate to, despite her life being drastically different to mine. By drawing upon my personal experience with mental health to create the reasons Flore was in Willard, I think that it has given a more authentic and realistic feel to a character whose story is very much like a dramatic telenovela. It was also a pleasure to get to explore Mexican culture and be able to incorporate aspects of it into my work, hoping that I can do it justice.  

Working on exhibiting our work was something that I could get enthusiastic about, compared to the first week presentation, as it was with a group of people I knew were eager and cared for the work, as well as creating an interesting experience for the viewers. It was exciting to begin to think of creative ways of presenting our work and how we might add dramatic flare in order to get people to engage with it. I’m very happy with how this exhibition turned out as we were successful at building the atmosphere of the asylum and it seemed to really capture people's imagination. I feel that we did a good job at sharing tasks equally and managed to come to agreements fairly easily on what should be done of the exhibition. I definitely learned a lot about the health an safety risks associated with the room and how to work safely and creatively when dressing a space. After going around the college to see other courses work, it seemed to be a consensus among the class that the others seemed to lack presentation when showing their work and it often came across that they hadn’t put much effort into letting other people know what they were doing. This is a shame as I would have liked to have seen some exhibitions that I didn’t even know where there as they weren’t promoted properly. I feel very happy with our class for working together to create something that we can take pride in.

I know that the skills that I have learnt during this module will benefit me in the industry and in my college work. These skills include working well in a group, communication skills, working safely in an environment with machinery, dressing a room for exhibitions, research and presentation skills, and I also learnt to take pride in my work and how I show it.

[willardsuitcases]

Yiddish Book Center Virtual Talk Hi Everyone.  I am not posting here on Wordpress so much as I mostly am doing…

[fyeahwaywardvictorians]

Mrs. Ethel #20756

“After she left [her husband] Seymour, Ethel supported herself as a seamstress. Her suitcase contained examples of her high-quality needlework: a finely hand-sewn quilt, a beautifully embroidered baby gown and intricately worked baby booties. In 1930, she was admitted to Willard. Her file states that "she refused to leave the place where she was living and went to bed saying she was ill ... As she refused to leave the house, the landlady made a petition for her commitment."

[farawayfiction]

Fascinating photography project. Well worth the visit and viewing time if you're into sociology, storytelling, and/or history.

From the about page by Jon Crispin:

“In 1995, the New York State Office of Mental Health closed the Willard Psychiatric Center in Willard, NY. It would eventually become a state-run drug rehabilitation center for prisoners. A Willard employee, Bev Courtwright, was given the task of going through all of the psych center buildings to determine what should be salvaged. She unlocked an attic door behind which was a collection of over 400 suitcases containing the possessions of former patients. The cases had been put into storage when their owners were admitted to Willard sometime between 1910 and 1960. And since the facility was set up to help people with chronic mental illness, most of these folks never left, and many were buried in the cemetery across the road.

Craig Williams acquired the cases for the New York State Museum and they were placed in the permanent collection. I first saw them in 2003 at an exhibit in the Museum where a small number of the suitcases were displayed. It was very moving to read the stories of these people, and to see objects from their lives before they became residents of Willard, and I was determined to photograph more of these cases so others could experience what I felt.

In 2011, the Museum gave me the incredible opportunity to begin this project. These objects open a small window into the lives of some of the people who lived at the facility, and I am determined to share them with as many people as possible.”

[willardsuitcases]

On the Radio

Hi Friends. Sorry for the late notice but I will be on WXXI Rochester today (6 April) at 1:00 PM. (wxxinews.org) I will be talking about the suitcases and will be joined by the amazing Peg Ellsworth who worked at Willard for almost 40 years. The program will also be archived so you can listen later. Thanks!

[willardsuitcases]

Please check this out. Hi Everyone,  Lin Stuhler has been working for the last 10 years to reclaim some respect to the patients at Willard and other New York State institutions.  

[willardsuitcases]

Talk at The American Shakespeare Center Hi Everyone.  I will be giving a talk before the American Shakespeare Center's production of "The Willard Suitcases" this Friday at 5:00 PM (22 November).