Annual Health Science Campus Artist Showcase at UToledo

The annual Health Science Campus Artist Showcase has been an ongoing event at the Raymon H. Mulford Health Science Library for several years. Originally meant to provide University of Toledo students, staff, and faculty working in the health sciences an opportunity to show their creative sides, the event has grown to include lectures that involve the connections between art and health. Undaunted by the COVID pandemic, the show was made available virtually, and this aspect of the exhibit is now regularly included with the physical show.

This year’s exhibit consisted of a variety of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensuional works as well as a reception and a lecture by UToledo Professor of Art History Dr. Mysoon Rizk, titled “A Brief Consideration of Art’s Healing Powers.” Dr. Rizk’s lecture included examples throughout history; mentioned were a couple of conceptual artists from the former Soviet Union who coined the phrase “the healing power of art,” and who created guidebooks for museum visitors that pointed out medicinal properties inherent in famous artworks. The two artists prescribed Johannes Vermeer for back pain, Jackson Pollock for blood disorders, Andy Warhol for injuries due to repetitive stress, and Claude Monet for hay fever. 

For access to recorded lectures and the virtual shows (shameless plug—I have works in the shows), visit the Health Science Campus Artist Showcase LibGuide: https://libguides.utoledo.edu/hscart.

–Gerald Natal, ALAO President, The University of Toledo