What’s Art Got To Do With It?, is a new homegrown documentary by occupational therapist and filmmaker Isabel Fryszberg that explores the power of art and community in an age of fiscal restraint. The film affords an insider’s view of Toronto’s Creative Works Studio, an occupational therapy program, spearheaded by Fryszberg, that fosters healing and recovery through the arts. Shot over the course of a year, What’s Art Got To Do With It? follows studio members as they devotedly prepare for an annual art show. In between painting canvasses, firing clay sculptures, shooting photographs, and composing songs, members candidly share what it is like to cope with severe and persistent mental health challenges and addictions. We are humbled and enlightened to learn of their setbacks and triumphs. What’s Art Got To Do With It? is embellished by powerful images of art and a sensitive score composed by Bob Wiseman. From its opening shot of a Toronto streetcar to its final coda at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibit, the film confirms that, through the power of artistic expression, one can develop a new life and a sense of belonging in a complex world.

To see our film trailer click here.

Read about the film here.

RECENT PRESS 
Global News
Toronto film explores the power of art in mental health treatment • by Irene Ogrodnik • October 1, 2013

HealthCanal – Health News
Toronto mental health documentary What’s Art Got to Do With It? set to screen at TIFF • by Leslie Shepherd • September 28, 2013

The production and dissemination of this film was supported by generous grants from: