2026 Virtual BPD Art Show & Festival
October 27 & 28, 2026 via Zoom
Registration is Now Open!
Registration for our two-day BPD art festival is now open!
About the 2026 Virtual BPD Art Festival
Our Art Shows have given artists in our community a platform to express themselves and tell their stories honestly, storms and all. This year will be our 5th BPD Art Show and we wanted to do things a little differently. We're expanding it into a two-night virtual BPD Art Festival, bringing the Art Show experience straight to you.
This year's theme, The Space Between the Storms: Borderline Personality Disorder Beyond the Moments You See, explores the moments that often go unseen: the space between crises and the experiences of hope, healing, recovery, identity, and everyday life with BPD.
This is our 5th BPD Art Show and this year, we're celebrating with a virtual festival. Night One is the art show and artist showcase. Night Two is a panel with select artists on creativity and recovery.
The Festival will take place October 27-28th and will open up our community and programming - centered on art, lived experience, recovery, and BPD - to people across the country. Selected artwork will be featured in a virtual exhibit on the Emotions Matter website and highlighted throughout the Festival.
What This Art Show Sets Out to Do:
To raise the public's awareness about borderline personality disorder (BPD), a highly stigmatized and often misunderstood mental illness.
To empower artists to tell their stories through art, building self-agency and leadership.
To inspire those impacted by BPD to achieve recovery, offering hope and support.
Important Dates:
Wednesday, September 30, 2026: Selected artists will be notified by email.
October 27 & 28, 2026 at 7 PM ET via Zoom: Two-night virtual BPD Art Festival. Selected artists will be invited to join a live virtual Artists Roundtable to share their work and connect with fellow artists. Participation is optional.
Registration is now open!
Meet our BPD Art Show Curator, Ellen Mattesi
Ellen Mattesi is an artist and entrepreneur. She has been immersed in many facets of the professional art world for over 30 years. Within her own fine art and creative career, she has built and managed design companies and art institutions, curated exhibitions, mentored artists in technical expertise and business skills, and fostered creativity for the ethnically and mentally diverse.
Ellen has spent many years involved in the BPD community not only as an art teacher but as a parent of a child with BPD. Presently she is immersed in creating a new collection of fine art while championing the advancement of women artists with her network, Black House Market.
This is the 5th BPD Art Show that Ellen Mattesi has led for Emotions Matter. Thank you, Ellen, for volunteering your time and talents to support our BPD artists and community!
Volunteer with the 2026 BPD Art Festival
It takes a village to bring our BPD Art Show to life! As we expand this year’s Art Show into a two-night virtual BPD Art Festival, we’re looking for volunteers interested in supporting the event behind the scenes.
Current volunteer opportunities may include:
Writing and copy editing to assist with artist materials, event copy, and Festival communications.
Pop-Up Shop support to help prepare select artwork for merchandise and assist with our online shop.
Communications and promotion to help spread the word about the BPD Art Show and Festival.
Virtual event tech support to assist behind the scenes with Zoom setup, troubleshooting, screen sharing, and other technical needs during Festival programming.
Most volunteer needs will take place in September and October leading up to the Festival. Specific projects and roles will be assigned based on current needs and volunteer experience.
Already an Emotions Matter volunteer? Email Antoinette at antoinette@emotionsmatterbpd.org to let us know which Art Festival volunteer opportunity you’re interested in.
New to volunteering with Emotions Matter? Complete a Volunteer Application on our website and select “Fundraising & Events.”
Questions? Email info@emotionsmatterbpd.org.