The Art Ball in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, a time to help break the stigma of mental illness and to encourage people to get the help they need. Under my Skin was present in the Art Ball with the Wearable art piece STIG-MANTA used by our Founder Apontesierra.
STIG-MANTA is an interpretation of the Blanket of Stigma. The name of the art piece mix Spanish and English where MANTA means Blanket. It shows how the stigma of HIV has intricate ramifications that affect the mental health of people infected and affected by HIV.
A comment from Healthier Delray Beach in their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HealthierDelrayBeach
“Y’all give a hearty Healthier Delray Beach SHOUT OUR and CHEER for our friend Emilio Apontesierra-Paretti. His Art Piece worn for Fashion Art Ball was an outstanding interpretation of the Blanket of Stigma!”
The Art Ball was the featured event for the Art exhibition called SUPER at Arts Warehouse in Delray Beach, FL where Apontesierra also was selected for this art exhibit from May to June 2023. His art piece is “Keep Dreaming”.
Apontesierra, an experimenter of the arts uses a mixture of influences in this art piece created by mixing Origami, Paper Sculpture, and Weaving Paper. A woman of color emerging from the darkness while dealing with mental health issues is chasing an airplane. In her dream, she knows there’s more to this life than meets the eye. We do not abandon our dreams, even if alone and despite any daily difficulties and challenges from mental illnesses. Apontesierra finish his art statement for this art piece saying: ““Always follow your dreams and become a SUPER human”!