At the Forefront - UChicago Medicine

Record year of creativity at 19th annual UChicago Medicine Staff Art Exhibit

Jessica Printz has lived with multiple sclerosis for a quarter-century. Last year, she felt ready to tell her story — not in words, but in art.

Printz transformed a year’s worth of her yellow plastic medication bottles — an ordinary item most people toss without a second thought — into “Rattle,” an eye-catching, mixed-media work that illustrates her journey with the chronic neurological disorder.

It was one of seven pieces taking top honors in the 19th annual University of Chicago Medicine Staff Art Exhibit on February 24.

“Rattle,” which earned first place in the Adult Professional category, also captured visitors’ attention. In written comment cards, one person called it thought-provoking. Another declared the entry as their favorite: “I can relate, I have arthritis in my spine and a bulging disc.”

Printz, who is managing editor of the Modern Philology journal at The University of Chicago Press, hopes visitors can appreciate the warring forces that come with an MS diagnosis when they look at “Rattle.” (A companion piece in the exhibit, “MonSter Truck,” features MRI images of her brain.)

“As MS patients, we are held together by modern medicine, even as this insidious disease tries to tear us apart and gives us a backbreaking burden that we must learn to live with each and every day,” Printz said.

Favorite time of year

The Staff Art Exhibit, displayed along one of the busiest corridors on the Hyde Park campus — the light-filled skybridge between Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine and Mitchell Hospital — runs until May 1.

The exhibit highlights the artistic talents of UChicago Medicine and Biological Sciences Division employees, as well as their immediate family members. This year saw a record-setting number of submissions, with more than 150 pieces of photography, drawings, paintings, mixed media, ceramics and crafts.

“The consistent messages I hear from so many are, ‘It makes my day’ and ‘I so appreciate the work that goes into making it happen,’” said Monica Hork, coordinator of UChicago Medicine’s Healing Arts Program, adding that many staff and guests look forward to the exhibition.

Personal stories through art

First place in the Youth Division, ages 12 and under, went to Alice Wang for “The Stillness Between the Stars.” Meant to symbolize hope, the work features brightly-colored koi fish, lotus flowers and stars, painted with the artist’s heritage in mind.

“The koi fish is really important in Chinese tradition because it stands for luck, strength and not giving up, even when things are hard. I like how koi swim upstream, because it reminds me to keep trying,” said Wang, a family member of Tracey Fan, DO, Assistant Professor of Neurology.

“The lotus flower grows out of muddy water, but it still blooms beautifully, which makes me think about staying positive even when life feels messy.”

First place in the Adult Amateur category went to Deontae Williams for “Danaja.” In it, Williams, a housekeeper in UChicago Medicine’s Environmental Services, envisioned his life in 2030, married to a woman he imagines named Danaja. In a companion piece, “My Future,” he illustrated himself and Danaja as parents to three children he calls Tierra, Dante and Keyshaun.

Educational Award winner Madison Risner put her interest in music and shadows on display in “Sombr,” a drawing. “I felt really challenged to step up my art. I knew I could do better,” said Risner, a family member of Jennifer Risner, RN, a nurse working in the Center for Care and Discovery.

The Staff Art Exhibit began in 2003, with $3,500 in awards provided by the National Arts Program Foundation. UChicago Medicine was the first hospital in Illinois to incorporate the program. It is one of now more than 450 sites throughout the country highlighting employee art.

This year’s submissions were judged by Chicago-based professional working artists and professors.

Best of Show

  • Jivan Nallamothu, “Outpost”

Educational Award

  • Madison Risner, “Sombr”

Adult Professional

  • First place: Jessica Printz, “Rattle”
  • Second place: Ada Yang, “Bruised Fruit”
  • Third place: Barb Pashup, “Saddle Up Cowgirl”
  • Honorable mention: Joseph Charbel, “Entervainment”; Marie Jiang, “Relationship”; Scott Costello, “Bumblebee + Zinnia”; Michael Hubatch, “Photo Two”

Adult Intermediate

  • First place: Michael Ocasio, “The Griffin”
  • Second place: Aurelio Ramos, “Mi Pueblo”
  • Third place: Nate Glasser, “L’Dor V’Dor”
  • Honorable mention: Reg Ressing, “Soul Stricken”; Deb Antes, “Winter Bridge Starved Rock”; Shannon Gordon, “Cold Blooded Creatures”; Lynette Latocha, “Part Time Lovers”

Adult Amateur

  • First place: Deontae Williams, “Danaja”
  • Second place: Ruko Bello, “Crowned in Color”
  • Third place: Prachi Shah, “Snack Break”
  • Honorable mention: Alan Balinao, “Grand Canyon”; May Ville Lachica, “City of Ascent”; Diane Lauderdale, “Valognes, Normandy,”; Amber Johnson, “Overprotected”

Teen

  • First place: Aleisah Faith Inocencio, “Fields of Gold”
  • Second place: Sahana Agarwal, “Cappuccino”
  • Third place: Sabeena Agarwal, “Paris at Night”
  • Honorable mention: Sophia Rentz, “Overconstruction”; Veyda Myroup, “Owl”

Youth 12 and Under

  • First place: Alice Wang, “The Stillness Between the Stars”
  • Second place: Kevin Xing, “Wood Duck”
  • Third place: John Jerald Mahia, “Sunflowers at Night”
  • Honorable mention: Jessa Gomez, “Melted Rainbow”; Sophie Sullivan, “Girl”