Second-annual Needy Ego Arts Festival centers around theme of mental health

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The second-annual Needy Ego Arts Festival was held on Sunday, centering around the theme of mental health.

Event organizers said that around two dozen painters, sculptors, ceramists, and jewelers were on exhibit at Temple Beth El on South Winton Road. Information on mental health services was also available.

“We’re proud to sponsor this festival,” said Deborah Zeger, executive director of Temple Beth El. “Not only is it a way to honor Ilana’s memory, but it also offers the community a chance to come together and appreciate all that art can and does bring to the world.”

The event was named after Ilana Finkelstein, a local artist who passed away in January 2021. According to her parents Gail and Jack Finkelstein, who also co-founded the festival, she presented her artwork under the alias “Needy Ego” as a way to show how sharing her art helps her cope with depression and anxiety.

“Art could play a crucial role in helping mitigate the stress and isolation so many feel as a result of the Covid19 pandemic,” Gail and Jack Finkelstein said in a statement.

They also said that part of the proceeds made from the festival will go towards the Ilana Finkelstein Art Fund, a benefit that sponsors art-related programming.