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Art for Healing

Posted by Harriet Hodgson @harriethodgson1, Oct 26, 2018

Kudos to the Montreal Museum of Fine Art for allowing physicians to write prescriptions for free admission to the museum. And kudos to Mayo Clinic for its art program. From the beginning, Mayo Clinic believed that art can uplift patients and foster healing. Whether it's Rochester, Jacksonville or Scottsdale, Mayo Clinic displays a wide range of artwork for patients. The Rochester site published a brochure for a self-guided tour of artwork. I live in Rochester and every time I'm at Mayo, I take the time to look at the artwork.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Just Want to Talk Support Group.

Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | May 7, 2021
In reply to @johnbishop "Just saw this beautifully done publication on the newsfeed. The Tempest 2021 | Mayo Clinic Alix..." + (show)
@johnbishop

Just saw this beautifully done publication on the newsfeed.

The Tempest 2021 | Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine Creative Arts Publication: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/center-for-humanities-in-medicine/newsfeed-post/the-tempest-2021-mayo-clinic-alix-school-of-medicine-creative-arts-publication/

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@johnbishop,
It does look wonderful I couldn't see if this publication is available to purchase. Do you know?

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1 reply
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John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | May 7, 2021
In reply to @hopeful33250 "@johnbishop, It does look wonderful I couldn't see if this publication is available to purchase. Do..." + (show)
@hopeful33250

@johnbishop,
It does look wonderful I couldn't see if this publication is available to purchase. Do you know?

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Hi Teresa, If you only want the softcopy all you have to do is click on the book and download it to your computer. I was not able to find any information on how to purchase a printed copy but there is contact us link on their website if you wanted to send them an email to ask - https://college.mayo.edu/academics/mayo-clinic-alix-school-of-medicine/

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Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Jun 7, 2021
In reply to @jenniferhunter "Sometimes words are just not enough to say thank you. I am a fine artist. For..." + (show)
@jenniferhunter

Sometimes words are just not enough to say thank you. I am a fine artist. For a couple years, I had been unable to control my brushes and was in constant pain because of spinal cord compression in my neck. I stopped painting because I couldn't produce the quality of work that I expected. I was getting worse and couldn't find a surgeon to help me until I came to Mayo Clinic and met Dr. Jeremy Fogelson. As the days drew closer to my surgery, I had to find a way to be confident and calm, so I used sketching and listening to music to relax. I had been drawing pencil sketches of Dr. Fogelson as my own art therapy to help me on my journey. It helped me get to know him in my own way. I did other things to confront my fears as well, but I always returned to art and music when I needed to escape for awhile. I was calm on my surgery day and everything I did to prepare myself worked like a charm. While I was recovering, I wanted to paint again and to create something for my surgeon. Prior to my surgery, I was loosing what I cherished most, and my surgeon returned that gift to me.

I called his nurse and we arranged for my followup appointment to be on his surgery day, so I could get photos of him in his scrubs. He enjoyed posing for my camera in the exam room for a few minutes and even made me laugh. I had to work out how to match the photos of him with my photos of the Plummer building to make it look believable. I put the history of Mayo behind him with the beautiful carved doors of the historic building, and that was a challenge to draw and paint them in accurate detail.

It took about a month to create this watercolor painting, and I would have to take breaks and lay down to rest when my muscles fatigued. At my one year followup, I hid the finished painting behind the curtain in the exam room until we finished the exam part of the appointment, and then Dr. Fogelson saw this for the first time. It was a complete surprise to him and he loved it. I really painted this for both of us... to say thank you when words were not enough, and to challenge myself to see if I could do it since it had been so long since I had been able to paint. I'm honored to know that he will enjoy this for years to come. I makes me feel good to be able to do this for someone who gave me back the ability to do the job, and knowing how much it meant to him is priceless.

Art has healing power, and creating art takes that one step further for me. I told Dr. Fogelson that there was an emotional side to healing and recovery, and for me that was to overcome the fears that had help me back in my life. Facing major surgery has a way of bringing all of that into focus. This was truly life changing for me in many ways. All of my experiences at Mayo, and my courage are all in that painting. It also represents the talent, the kindness and compassion of my surgeon. At Mayo, medicine is an art. It's also true that art is medicine.

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My story as a spine surgery patient has been told by Sharing Mayo Clinic, and I had a wonderful opportunity to talk about that in a Podcast that has been published today.

I was interviewed by Catherine Praiswater for a Podcast called "Your Positive Imprint" that is about inspiring stories. We talked about my experience as a patient facing spine surgery and how I coped with music and art, and how I learned to go forward in spite of fear, and then after my recovery, painting my surgeon's portrait. From what I learned about myself, I began to share that here on Connect to help other patients. We also discussed how we can learn from the stories of others to find meaning in our lives.

You can find this podcast where you subscribe to podcasts, and it is titled,
"Doctor, your hands are going to save my hands today. Artist: Jennifer Hunter"

Here is the link to the podcast.
https://yourpositiveimprint.com/episodes/my-spine-my-story-my-paintbrush-jennifer-hunter/
https://sharing.mayoclinic.org/2019/01/09/using-the-art-of-medicine-to-overcome-fear-of-surgery/

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1 reply
MGMolly | @Erinmfs | Jun 7, 2021

I worked at a hospital one time, and a percentage of the budget, overall, was dedicated to art. I think many hospitals may do this. What if, say, 10% of the revenue to the clinic was dedicated to advancing their artwork, for example.

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1 reply
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Chris Trout, Volunteer Mentor | @artscaping | Jun 7, 2021
In reply to @Erinmfs "I worked at a hospital one time, and a percentage of the budget, overall, was dedicated..." + (show)
@Erinmfs

I worked at a hospital one time, and a percentage of the budget, overall, was dedicated to art. I think many hospitals may do this. What if, say, 10% of the revenue to the clinic was dedicated to advancing their artwork, for example.

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You are correct....artists do get asked to create artwork for hospitals. I had a fine craft gallery and many of my artists received commission work from hospitals. The nature of their work was frequently colorful and a wall installation that covered a large area. Great idea! Thanks for sharing.
Chris

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Parus | @parus | Jun 9, 2021

After a trio of stormy and rainy days doing this charcoal drawing seemed to sum things up. I recently had 2 cervical rhizotomies which has helped so I am able to do some artwork. Thankful as it helps me more than anything else most of the time.
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6 replies
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jun 9, 2021
In reply to @parus "After a trio of stormy and rainy days doing this charcoal drawing seemed to sum things..." + (show)
@parus

After a trio of stormy and rainy days doing this charcoal drawing seemed to sum things up. I recently had 2 cervical rhizotomies which has helped so I am able to do some artwork. Thankful as it helps me more than anything else most of the time.

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Your drawings are so incredible, Paus. I feel like I could reach out and pet this lion. But one knows better than to disturb a sleeping lion. 🙂

I'm thrilled that the recent rhizotomies have restored function and allow you to draw again.

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Mentor
Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | Jun 9, 2021
In reply to @parus "After a trio of stormy and rainy days doing this charcoal drawing seemed to sum things..." + (show)
@parus

After a trio of stormy and rainy days doing this charcoal drawing seemed to sum things up. I recently had 2 cervical rhizotomies which has helped so I am able to do some artwork. Thankful as it helps me more than anything else most of the time.

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@parus This drawing is phenomenal!! Wow, just wow. I’m so happy you’re feeling up to drawing and sharing your amazing gift with us! Stunning….

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Becky, Volunteer Mentor | @becsbuddy | Jun 9, 2021
In reply to @parus "After a trio of stormy and rainy days doing this charcoal drawing seemed to sum things..." + (show)
@parus

After a trio of stormy and rainy days doing this charcoal drawing seemed to sum things up. I recently had 2 cervical rhizotomies which has helped so I am able to do some artwork. Thankful as it helps me more than anything else most of the time.

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Just stunning!

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Mentor
Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Jun 9, 2021
In reply to @parus "After a trio of stormy and rainy days doing this charcoal drawing seemed to sum things..." + (show)
@parus

After a trio of stormy and rainy days doing this charcoal drawing seemed to sum things up. I recently had 2 cervical rhizotomies which has helped so I am able to do some artwork. Thankful as it helps me more than anything else most of the time.

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@parus You have a stunningly beautiful natural gift! I for one, am honored to view your work as you share it!
Ginger

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