Jill Bolte Taylor
BRAINS Foundation
Mission Statement for Jill Bolte Taylor BRAINS
I am passionate about educating the public, and anyone who will listen, about the beauty and magnificence of our human brain. I am completely committed to helping others uncover and discover their own deep inner peace through the tools of Whole Brain Living. The more time we spend running our deep inner peace circuitry, the more peace we project into the world and the more peaceful our planet becomes.
I truly believe that the better we understand our own brain, the more power we each have to influence its health and the wellness of those around us. This Foundation, Jill Bolte Taylor BRAINS, is dedicated to providing educational services, promoting programs that are related to the advancement of brain awareness, appreciation, exploration, education, injury prevention, neurological recovery, as well as the value of movement on our emotional, mental, and physical health.
We hope you will sign up for a Whole Brain Living training.
Our first major project
THE BRAIN EXTRAVAGANZA!
By 2011, 350 communities around the world had placed large fiberglass animals, guitars, pianos (or other such things) on their street corners in an event to stimulate both tourism and an appreciation for the item on display.
In my eyes, healthy brains are brains that have a lot of connections between the cells in that brain, and a healthy community has a lot of connections between the people in that community.
The Motto of the Brain Extravaganza
“Brains are Cool!”
In 2012, The Brain Extravaganza! was the first project the Jill Bolte Taylor BRAINS Foundation undertook. This was a collaborative community art project that occurred in Bloomington, Indiana, between the town of Bloomington and the gown of Indiana University.
Twenty-two uniquely decorated enormous fiberglass brains (5 feet high, 5 feet long, and 4 feet wide) were placed on public display around town and on the IU campus, for six months of learning about the brain. A special phone-app game was created, whereby each participant could stand within a 50 foot proximity of each of the brain sculptures, and learn about the specific decor and theme of each of the brains – brain aging, bipolar disorder, the differences between the two hemispheres, etc. We also provided information about the artist, sponsor, and the overall intention of each brain.
This Brain Extravaganza! community-based project created a lovely working relationship between Jill Bolte Taylor BRAINS, the City of Bloomington, Indiana University, the business and artist communities, the Bloomington volunteer community, as well as the local school systems K-12 (MCCSC plus the alternative educational groups in town). This project represented a conscious effort between the various groups in the community to create healthy connections supported by healthy interactions. It was a phenomenal success!
Here are some photos of the big brains:
The Creation of the Big Brains
Bloomington local collaborative artist Joe LaMantia spent 3.5 weeks with Dr. Jill sculpting the prototype brain out of wood, styrofoam, and plaster. A mold was then made of the prototype, and once the local business sponsors were identified, 22 fiberglass brains were made and distributed to the chosen artists.
Each of the artists then worked with Dr. Jill to identify an anatomically correct design for their sculpture decoration. The variation of the brain themes was vast, and it was an overall magical experience for hundreds of thousands of visitors who came from all around the world to experience the show.