Bridging the gap through the world of art.

For 13 weeks last spring, the Museum of Modern Art's Department of Education partnered with mentally ill patients from The Bridge--a private, not-for-profit community-based organization serving New Yorkers in need for more than 50 years--to view and discuss pieces of art and then create a new body of work influenced by MoMA's permanent collection.

Inspired by the "Encounters" exhibition from the National Gallery in London (in which well-known artists were asked to reinterpret famous paintings), the Bridge artists were encouraged to experience MoMA's collection through guided tours and private visits, looking for images with which they felt some affinity. After researching the conceptual and technical approaches of the selected artists and works, participants began their own process of reinterpretation, exploring new possibilities of artistic and personal growth.

Having completed its run at MoMA last summer, "Encounters: A Second Look" will be on view Oct. 11 at the headquarters of Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals, Wilmington, Del., before going on display (and sale) at The Bridge Gallery 300 Studio, New York, Oct. 24-Nov. 14.

"The Bridge and its artists [were] thrilled and honored to be one of the very few adult groups to exhibit art work that was created at the Museum of Modern Art since its founding in 1929," notes Cynthia C. Wainwright, president of The Bridge Inc.

Adds Peter D. Beitchman, the organization's executive director: "We have been creating extraordinary art ... as part of our art therapy program ... for 18 years. This work is important to the rehabilitation and recovery of persons with mental illness. Being chosen to participate in this project with MoMA has been one of the most exciting developments since the program's inception."