Event(s) Summary
Number of Events Organized During Brain Awareness Week:
1 - Art of the Brain Exhibition
Year:
2021
Type of Events Held:
- Exhibit
- Online/Virtual
- Social Media Campaign
Target Audiences:
- Elementary school students (1-5)
- General Public
- High school students (9-12)
- K-12 Teachers
- Middle school students (6-8)
- Patients & Caregivers
- Professionals
- Seniors
- University students
Approximate Number of People Reached:
>1000
Details of Major Brain Awareness Week Events/Activities:
The “Art of the Brain” Exhibition: Each year The Friedman Brain Institute has a “Call for Images” competition whereby many of the images are selected to be exhibited in the “Art of the Brain” exhibition which is held during Brain Awareness Week. This year, we received + 72 submissions from 10 departments within the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Each image provides unique insights into how the scientist—and the brain—work. Fundamentally, the artwork reveals how scientists, through the use of the latest technological advances, are pushing to accelerate the development of new treatments for brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, autism, drug addiction, schizophrenia, and Parkinson’s disease, among many others. This year, because of Covid, we pivoted from an in-person exhibition to a virtual one. It was a huge success. While the biggest challenge was creating the virtual gallery, a virtual exhibition opened up opportunities not otherwise available. For example, we were able to expand the exhibition in regard to the amount of work that we could “hang”, lengthen the amount of time the show was up for, as well as, reach a broad audience that not only included NYC but people from around the country and the world. Additionally, we have been able to create a virtual tour of the exhibition which will be guided by the scientists/artists themselves and will be made available to anyone from middle school and up. The “Art of the Brain” Exhibition: http://neuroscience.mssm.edu/artofthebrain/exhibition/indexThe Lancet Neurology Review: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(21)00134-4/fulltext
Event Planning & Publicity
Publicity Methods Used:
- Emails
- Mailings
- Posters/Flyers
- Website
- Social Media
Which of These Publicity Methods Was The Most Successful?
Resources
Which BAW graphic materials did you use in publicizing your events?
- Brain Awareness Week Logos
Feedback & Keys to Success
How do you feel BAW participation benefited your organization and the local community?
One of the main benefits of BAW is that it allows us to connect with the community in which we are located (and beyond) and lets people within the community connect with us. The Art of the Brain exhibition, especially in its virtual format, is a great asset in this regard. The artwork makes us and the research that we do at The Friedman Brain Institute accessible to a wide range of people of all ages and ethnicities.
Please share any suggestions or lessons learned that may help others plan future events:
Virtual options are key to reaching a larger audience and helping to reduce costs.
Did/do you like our Facebook page?
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