MAY 14 - 28, 2024

   Marilyn Farquhar, originally from Kitchener, Ontario, now resides in Coboconk, Ontario.  Marilyn has been in the property management industry for thirty-two years ending her professional career running her own firm in Waterloo, Ontario, in excess of twenty-five years. 

Marilyn is passionate about her quilting which has provided her a creative outlet to balance out the stress of daily work.  Marilyn’s quilting has evolved into a unique style of modern portraits while still utilizing many traditional techniques.  She has won national and international awards and presents trunk shows of her work.  Marilyn now captures her emotional journey in her quilts.  Allowing herself to be vulnerable, Marilyn hopes this creates an atmosphere that allows the viewer to be moved and conversations to begin.

     John Kubiniec is a Per Diem Chaplain at Strong Memorial Hospital and Unity Hospital.  He also facilitates the Music at the Bedside Program for Eastman Performing Arts Medicine  in the Wilmot Infusion Center and Unit 636 at Strong.  John is Brand Ambassador for BERNINA Sewing Machines and served as a tester in the development of BERNINA's Longarm Quilting Machine.  He has designed quilt patterns for a number of fabric companies and has had his patterns published in numerous magazines in the United States and Germany.  His book A New Spin on Drunkard's Path was published by C&T Publishing in 2016.   

 Gary Pudup graduated from RIT with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice.  He retired after 30 years of police service from the Monroe County  Sheriff's Office as the head of the Internal Affairs Unit.  Gary was a trainer in Command Post Operations and Critical Incident Management.  These trainings dealt directly with emergency responses to situations depicted in the film. After retirement Gary was the Chapter Director of the Genesee Valley Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union, the state affiliate of the ACLU.  

    ADVISOR DEB GUTHMANN, Ed.D., NIC, is a nationally recognized lecturer, administrator, researcher, educator, and advocate with over 40 years of extensive experience in service to the deaf and hard of hearing(D/HH) community. Dr. Guthmann was the lead consultant for a federal grant which focused on the validation of mental health, substance abuse and career related screening tools in American Sign Language. She is the founding Director of the Minnesota Substance Use Disorder Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals which is one of the first inpatient treatment programs for serving this population in the United States. Dr. Guthmann is one of the editors and a contributor for a book published by Gallaudet Press titled “Deaf People in the Criminal Justice System: Selected Topics on Advocacy, Incarceration and Social Justice.” She also serves as an advisor for a documentary film called “Being Michelle”, which focuses on the injustices that happened to a deaf and disabled woman while incarcerated. Additionally, Dr. Guthmann is a nationally certified interpreter who has served on a number of advisory boards and is the past President and current Vice President of The American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association (ADARA).

    Noel  is an art therapist and has been working in the mental health field for over 15 years. She works in a wide range of settings with clients who have diverse backgrounds, experiences, and lifestyles. Currently, she is a doctoral candidate in Expressive Therapies at Lesley University. Her goal is to expand more diverse therapeutic approaches to mental health services in the Deaf community, such as art, music, play, drama, and dance movement therapy. She seeks to break the limitation of traditional talk therapy approaches and customize the therapy services to all deaf folx, especially minority groups to amplify their voices. On a more personal side, Noel loves attending art museums and galleries, being a foodie, exploring new art mediums, and traveling. Her work can be accessed at noelking.carbonmade.com 

Robert Pollard, Ph.D., is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, where he founded the Deaf Wellness Center, a mental health service, research, and training program, in 1990. He also served as Professor and Associate Dean of Research at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf from 2016 to 2022. Dr. Pollard has particular expertise regarding deaf persons and mental health, sign language interpreting, and deaf population public health issues. He has served as an expert witness in more than 130 criminal and civil cases involving deaf persons. He has delivered over 300 invited addresses throughout the U.S. and abroad. He has been principal investigator on numerous grants totaling over $6.5 million, authored or co-authored over 100 publications, including three books, and produced 19 films in American Sign Language. Dr. Pollard’s work has been recognized with many national and international awards and honors, including several from the American Psychological Association. 

  Carol Podgorski completed her doctoral degree in sociology and has master’s degrees in Public Health and in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is Professor and Associate Chair of Faculty Affairs in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry. She is Director of the Finger Lakes Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease and Director of Alzheimer’s Disease Support Programs for the University of Rochester Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program. She also serves on the Advisory Panel for Outreach and Education for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and on the New York State Coordinating Council for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia. Her academic interests include medical family therapy approaches to caregiving, and development of family systems-oriented models of patient- and family-centered dementia care.  

   Originally from Michigan and a graduate of Michigan State University, Dr. Griepp embarked on her medical journey with postgraduate training in family medicine. She later transitioned to the Psychiatric Residency Program at URMC, followed by advanced studies in Neuropsychiatry, also at URMC.

Her early career focused on treating psychiatric disorders associated with AIDS/HIV. Throughout her career, she has made significant contributions in psychiatric emergency rooms, inpatient units, and as the Chief Medical Officer for Behavioral Health and Telemedicine at Excellus BCBS. Additionally, she has maintained a private practice in outpatient psychiatry for over 20 years. 

 Currently, Dr. Griepp serves as the Program Director of a new Psychiatric Residency at Rochester General Hospital. 

  Larry Guttmacher is one of the founders of Reel Mind.  He is an Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Humanities at the University of Rochester.  In past lives he has served as an Associate Dean in the Medical School, a Director of Psychiatry Residency Education, and as Clinical Director of the Rochester Psychiatric Center.  He is an active volunteer at St. Joseph's Neighborhood Center, teaches both medical students and psychiatry residents, and conducts asylum evaluations with the Rochester Human Rights Initiative.  He continues to be amazed and delighted with the community that Reel Mind has developed over the years.