Written by Lauren Rabb | Curator | TMC Healing Art Program
Healing
I thought that by this newsletter, the worst of COVID-19 would be behind us. With the Omicron variant, the near future is once again uncertain. Our fingers are crossed as we can continue full steam ahead – bringing more art into the hospital and continuing with live music.
ART
We installed quite a bit of art since the summer! Much of it went into two TMCOne clinics. The TMCOne on Wyatt got a facelift, and the new TMCOne at Lambert and La Canada is full of photography.
We finally got back into the Mom & Baby unit to continue our quest of hanging a floral photograph in every room – but we need the women of Tucson to stop having babies if we ever hope to finish (not kidding, honestly!). We also installed art in Outpatient Therapy, and the High Risk Cath Lab. By far, the most meaningful space we did was the COVID unit. Installing there was quite stressful (although we were perfectly safe at all times), but when it was finished, the corridors bloomed with flowers and we knew we had brightened the space for the staff.
We have some new artists to thank for donating to the program. Cheryl Hrudka and Stan Johnson create unique digital images under the name An Altered View.
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Art PROGRAM
Larry Simkins photos. Image courtesy of Lauren Rabb.
Marla Endicott “Anchorage”. Image courtesy of artist.
Four of their creations, printed on aluminum, will be gracing the hallways of TMC soon. Fran Yanarella, another Tucson artist, works in watercolor collage and also gifted four pieces – two underwater scenes and two others with a musical bent. Our very own Dr. Gulshan Sethi, the dearly loved and recently retired cardiothoracic surgeon, has taken up painting in his retirement and is gifting us charming landscapes for the Cardiac ICU.
Paul Gold and Greer Warren continue to be TMC art angels, and recently gave us a lithograph that was part of the Official Arts Portfolio of the XXIVth Olympiad in Seoul, by Russian artist Mikhail Chemiakin. They also donated a work by Mark Kostabi, featuring his “everyman” images in a screen print created to benefit Best Buddies International. Pamela Parry donated a bold flower painting by renowned photographer Nancy Sirkis, part of a pop series the artist did back in the 1970s. Jack and Joy Timken donated a painting titled “Enchanted Forest” by local favorite Barbara Rogers, and dedicated it to Robert Leff, MD. And Richard and Nathalie Bliss gave us a delightful drawing by Karl Striker, the famed British street artist, titled “Hundred Acre Testing” that honors Winnie the Pooh artist, E.H. Shepard, while reminding us all to get tested for COVID-19 when we feel ill.
Photographers continue to join our cadre, and we are glad to welcome two with a special connection to TMC. Mark Cormier is the OP Medical Coder whose gorgeous flowers can be seen in unit 900 – currently the COVID unit. And Gerald Goldberg, MD is a newly retired dermatologist whose passion for photography takes him on travels around the world. His first works for the hospital can be seen in Nursing Administration.
MUSIC
We are excited to fill out our medical musician ranks with tango and folklore guitarist Maximiliano Larrea. Maxi moved to the United States from Argentina in 2015, and has toured internationally, played in major music festivals and recorded a number of albums with other renowned musicians. A composer and arranger himself, Maxi is also a passionate music educator. Married to an assistant professor of ethnomusicology at the University of Arizona, he and his wife work to promote intergenerational community connections through Latin American popular music.
I hope it goes without saying that this program could not exist without the financial support of many individuals. Recent donors include: Rica Spivack, Gloria Linden, Ron and Jacquelyn Feller, Doris Coris, Molly Murphy and Gulshan Sethi. A very big, heartfelt THANK YOU goes out to each of them!
Barbara Rogers “Enchanted Forest”. Image courtesy of Lauren Rabb
Mark Cormier cactus flowers. Images courtesy of the artist.
Shirley Wagner images. Courtesy of Robin Stancliff.
Fran Yanarella “Into the Deep Blue I & II”. Images courtesy of the artist.
Leslie Leathers photos of birds. Image courtesy of Lauren Rabb.
Greg McKelvey “Sand Hill Cranes”. Image courtesy of artist.
Greg McKelvey “Antelope Canyon” Image courtesy of artist
Eric Suhm “Dancer” Image courtesy of artist
F OUND A TION
5301 E. Grant Road
Tucson, AZ 85712-2805
HERE’S WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Greg McKelvey recently wrote an essay: Joy from Photography – What Life is All About for Me! Here’s what he had to say about being a contributing TMC photographer:
Helping others, especially people I do not know, is priceless. It lasts beyond my life span. Posting a photo in a public place, like a hospital, supports both the healing and mood of the facilities. I accepted, without reservation, when Lauren Rabb asked me to join the Tucson Medical Center Healing Art Program. Since hanging some of my photos, I learned from doctors, nurses, staff, and patients the profound importance of the program. The work/healing place is no longer without life or color. The art on the walls helps people see past their illness by surrounding them with a pleasant “window” to the world in a building, mainly without outside contact. No doubt, there are many ways to help others. But for me, donating the use of my photos is about helping others.
And Shirley Wagner, one of our contributing artists, recently received this email from a friend:
I spent a long day at TMC yesterday and it was such a joy to emerge from the elevators face first into your lovely body of work. I felt seen and cared for and part of community in a way that’s hard to explain. What a marvelous gift this collection is.