Yale Sculpture Exhibit Explores Themes of Loss and Renewal

New Haven, Conn. — Works by sculptor Joseph Saccio, a former associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine, are on exhibit March 12 through April 24 at the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health (PRCH) and the Community Services Network (CSN).

The exhibit is the first for The Parachute Factory, which is the organizations’ new arts initiative and shares space with PRCH and CSN at 319 Peck St., Erector Square. An open house and artist’s reception will be held April 1 from 4 to 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Saccio’s large scale sculptures explore themes of loss and renewal and transformation and regeneration through the use of a wide range of natural and manufactured materials: tree roots and limbs, wood burls, cardboard pieces, Venetian blind scraps, cable ties, beads, chair caning, metal ductwork, excelsior, beeswax, and plastic roofing. These found materials combine in pieces on the theme of death and new life that give hints of Saccio’s lifelong interest in biological forms. Saccio’s themes and his respect for the narrative vitality of his materials resonate with the recovery-oriented work of PRCH and CSN.

The two organizations are part of the Connecticut Mental Health Center at Yale. PRCH conducts research, training, education, and policy development in the field of behavioral health. Its guiding philosophy is recovery, defined as the regaining of a person’s place in the community as a way of living with and living beyond the experiences of mental illness and addiction. CSN is a consortium of 18 community-based organizations that provide a variety of behavioral health services to people throughout the greater New Haven area. The mission of the CSN is to help families and individuals enjoy meaningful and satisfying lives through the coordination of recovery-oriented clinical, housing, social rehabilitation, vocational, and other services.

PRCH and CSN founded The Parachute Factory exhibit space in collaboration with the Arts Council of Greater New Haven to foster innovative, inclusive projects in the creative and performing arts as a new way to explore and express ideas of recovery and community health.

The exhibition is open Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or by appointment. To make an appointment or for further information, please email rebecca.miller@yale.edu or kyle.pedersen@yale.edu