At SANE we believe art and creative expression can help build connection, grow diverse communities and drive social inclusion.
Art is a powerful avenue for promoting recovery from complex mental health issues, to create space for self-expression and advance our understanding of complex mental health issues.
The arts have the power to move, to heal and to help us understand ourselves and each other.
Artistic creation can be deeply meaningful and a way to connect people with complex mental health issues to a better understanding of themselves. It can foster recovery by giving form to experience and expressing the unspoken, establishing a sense of identity and building resilience. Inherently social, art also creates languages for connection, reducing feelings of isolation, as well as opening pathways for employment, self-sufficiency and empowerment.
It can also open our eyes, deepen our understanding of what other people face and help break down stigma and discrimination.
Arts at SANE
At SANE we have a range of creative and educational activities for people with complex mental health conditions and the general public to take part in. Classes, tours and educational programs for students are among our growing program of activity.
The DAX Centre
In 2018, SANE merged with The Dax Centre, a public art gallery and Education centre that uses art to advance the understanding of complex mental health issues and reduce public and self-stigma. The centre holds exhibitions, offers student and community tours and is the custodian of the Cunningham Dax Collection of more than 16,000 works.
The centre's diverse exhibition program showcases art practitioners with lived experience of mental health issues. It offers a platform for their artwork and helps to overcome social and professional barriers. The Main Gallery is dedicated to educating and transforming people’s perspectives on complex mental health issues, with the Cunningham Dax Collection forming the centrepiece of its display.
The education programs for school, tertiary students and community groups centre on a tour of the current exhibition. Using the artworks to engage in often difficult conversations around mental health issues, the programs weave in understandings about stigma and the role we can all play in reducing it, as well as the role of art and creativity in leading a fulfilling and mentally healthy life.
The Dax Centre
Find out more about exhibitions, education programs and activities
What’s on at The Dax Centre
See the current exhibitions.
Education at The DAX Centre
Guided tours and educational activities for students and community groups