For 13 years, Out of Sight Out of Mind has been a space where hundreds of people with experience of mental health issues can express themselves through art and be seen. CAPS Independent Advocacy is crowdfunding to make the 14th exhibition happen and secure its future.
Campaign aims to reach £10,000
Photo by Chris Scott
The Out of Sight Out of Mind exhibition and programme costs much more and the CAPS Independent Advocacy team are working hard to secure regular funding for its future.
In the meantime, reaching their crowdfunding target of £10,000 will mean the exhibition can happen this October during the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival 2026.
It will be a smaller exhibition than usual, but as always it will be for people with mental health issues to be seen and heard through art and allow many people to celebrate their art and efforts.
This campaign will support:
- A three-week exhibition
- Event costs
- Accessibility support
- Volunteer coordination
- A welcoming space for artists and visitors
If you can donate, thank you. Any amount helps from £5 to £100 or beyond! It will all contribute to Out of Sight Out of Mind in 2026.
If donating isn’t possible just now, sharing the campaign is incredibly valuable and helps it reach many more people.
What Does Out of Sight Out of Mind Mean to Us?
Photo by Chris Scott
Gail Aldam, Arts & Events Manager at the Mental Health Foundation shared her thoughts on the exhibition:
“Ever since it began in 2013, the exhibition has been a vital part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival programme.
The exhibition supports, champions and empowers hundreds of artists – many of whom have gone through very challenging experiences – to make and exhibit powerful work about mental health. As one participant expressed, ‘This is a place where someone who feels as inconsequential as me can have an impact.’
It is hard to imagine another event that so effectively captures what we aim to do as a festival. Through sharing beautiful artworks, important mental health content and stories that inspire, uplift, and challenge us, Out of Sight Out of Mind powerfully aligns with our mission to promote mental health awareness and inclusivity.”
What Does Out of Sight Out of Mind Mean to You?
Out of Sight Out of Mind reaches thousands of people every year. Here are a selection of quotes but you can find many more on the exhibition website.
When was the last time you felt something so hard you burst out into tears? This exhibition has done just that. I am touched and deeply moved. The raw pain and the joy is a privilege to get to be part of. Mental health issues affect us all and cutting funding from events like these is not only short sighted, its cruel and unnecessary.
I have been involved with OOSOOM for four years now, both as a contributor and as part of the planning group. This involvement has helped immensely with my mental health battles, particularly this year, and it would be devastating to me and my mental health were it not to continue…Keep fighting!
A safe way to express pain and be seen. Also, overwhelming validation that it’s okay to struggle. A strong sense of being held by other people and being a majority – for a change.
OOSOOM is a rare collective, artistic expression of hope and of challenging norms and stigma around mental health.
This exhibition is full of so many ideas, faces, emotions, stories – all make me think more deeply, thank you for the experience. Really interesting and rewarding event to visit.
Photo by Chris Scott
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