Art under the Microscope

About the Exhibit:
Society for the Arts in Healthcare has partnered with the University of Michigan Health System's Gifts of Art program and the University of Michigan Center for Organogenesis to showcase this fascinating combination of art and science. This unique collection of twenty art quilts, created by the group Fiber Artists @ Loose Ends, is inspired by the beauty of scientific photographs taken through microscopes. In the course of this work, the microscope and special stains are used to examine tissues for alterations in structure or function that are characteristic of health or disease. "Art under the Microscope" aims to honor scientific research efforts, enrich community spaces by bringing the arts into everyday life, and raise public awareness about the importance of the arts in healthcare settings.

View the complete collection of sixteen quilts

Picture: Quilters celebrate the exhibit at the National Institutes of Health, where the quilts are displayed through August. More photos here.

Sample Quilts:

	This quilt is a rendition of Rebecca Bernados's photograph of a section of a Zebrafish retina. The blue spots are created with sequins covered with fabric and sewn by hand. The varying levels of circles are individually hand sewn, giving depth to the band of neuclei. The red photoreceptors include red fabrics and handmade paper. The middle red portion is depicted using shades of red glass beads. The background is machine quilted with hand-sewn embellishments.
Fire in Her Eyes by Judy Busby
	This quilt is based on Maria Morell's photo of a lobule of the cerebellum that has been enhanced with staining.  The green astrocytes support the large specialized neurons or red Purkinje cells. The blue staining illustrates the many cells next to the Purkinje cells, among which are neural stem cells. The quilt uses silk and rayon fabric and silk, cotton, rayon, wool, hemp, and rubber fiber, both hand- and machine-stitched, to represent parts of the cells of the cerebellum.
Green Feather by Annabel Ebersole

2010 Exhibit Schedule:

• April: Boynton Health Center, University of Minnesota, Society for the Arts in Healthcare Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• May - June: University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
• July - August: National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland (Washington, DC area)
• September - November: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
• December: TBD

2011 Exhibit Schedule:

• January - February: Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, St. Johnsbury, Vermont
• March - April: TBD

If you are interested in hosting the exhibit at your medical center, please view the host guidelines and sample layout and call (202) 299-9770 for available dates.

About Arts in Healthcare:
Arts in healthcare is a diverse, multidisciplinary field that humanizes the healthcare experience for patients, families, and caregivers and connects millions of people with the power of the arts at key moments in their lives. This rapidly growing field applies a multitude of art forms to a wide variety of healthcare settings. Literary, performing and visual arts, and design create a better healthcare experience for patients, families, and staff.

About Society for the Arts in Healthcare:
The Society for the Arts in Healthcare, an international membership organization, advances the arts as integral to healthcare by advocating for the use of the arts in all healthcare environments; offering professional development opportunities; and promoting research, best practices, and model programs in the field. Membership includes over 1,700 organizations, artists, and health professionals. As the leading resource uniting the arts and healthcare, the Society has a strong history of linking artists, professionals, and leaders in the arts, humanities, and health.

About the Exhibit Partners:

The Gifts of Art Program brings the world of art and music to the University of Michigan Health System. One of the first and most comprehensive in the U.S., its programs utilize the arts to assist and enhance the healing process, reduce stress, support human dignity, and renew the spirit.  

http://www.fiberartists-looseends.com/ is a group of Washington, D.C.-area art quilters with a passion for the textile medium. The group has a legacy of providing art quilts for healing centers and is proud of the work that now hangs at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the University of Michigan Health System. 

The University of Michigan Center for Organogenesis unites scientists from many fields who work together to study organ formation, organ function, and organ disease. The goal of these research studies is to use new information gained to design new and effective strategies to treat disease and repair damaged organs.