Staff art exhibit showcases talent, uplifts artists and viewers

Corey Davis and his son Maddox
Public safety employee Corey Davis with his son, Maddox. Davis' third-place winning entry, "Love at First Sight," pictures Maddox when he was two weeks old.

“Violet Trinity.” “Voices Seep Through.” “Love at First Sight.”

These are the intriguing titles of three winning entries in the 13th annual UChicago Medicine Staff Art Exhibit on display through the beginning of February. The 2018 show attracted photographs, paintings and mixed media works submitted by employees and their family members.

UChicago Medicine’s Healing Arts Program inaugurated the staff art show in 2003 as part of the medical center’s 75th anniversary celebration. In 2006, the annual event welcomed the collaboration of the National Arts Program (NAP) Foundation. NAP sponsors the cash prizes, ribbons and certificates for the participants. Professional artists from the Chicago area judge the exhibit and choose winners in several categories.

“Each year, the creative expression in the show demonstrates that UChicago Medicine staff members have many talents beyond the great services they provide in research, education and patient care,” said Sharon O’Keefe, president of the University of Chicago Medical Center.

When you offer people a chance to exhibit their art, it breaks a barrier and helps them blossom as an artist. — Barbara Pashup, RN

Monica Hork, coordinator of the Healing Arts Program, says her team consistently hears from patients, families, visitors and staff that the exhibit lifts their spirits. It also offers employees “a great opportunity to create a sense of community through artistic fulfillment,” Hork said.

Retired UChicago Medicine nephrology nurse Barbara Pashup, RN, has participated in the show for many years and, as a consequence, connected with other nurses over their love for photography. “Because we were from different departments, we most likely would not have known about our shared interest without the art show,” she said.

Howie Weiner, senior clinical research coordinator in hematology/oncology, credits the show for fostering his daughter Sarah’s interest in art. The five-time participant first submitted a piece in 2006 when she was eight years old. Today, she is majoring in sculpture at a prestigious art school.

The 2018 Staff Art Exhibit will be on display in the second floor corridor between the Center for Care and Discovery and the Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine until February2019. UChicago Medicine staff artwork can also be viewed on the National Arts Program website: nationalartsprogram.org.