Journeys Through Cancer: Art of Healing & Hope

The Cancer Institute at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, Maryland, will display a compilation of art pieces created by those affected by cancer in an exhibit called “Journeys Through Cancer: Art of Healing & Hope.” The art exhibit is a collaboration between the Institute and the American Cancer Society, and will be open to the public April 3 to May 11.

Christine Langr, creative services consultant for St. Joseph Medical Center, says the Institute plans to purchase artwork for viewing in public areas. “We believe in the healing power of art,” she says, particularly if it is created by patients and caregivers who have experienced cancer firsthand.

“The act of creating artwork about their experience got them through a very difficult time in their lives,” Langr says. “Their artwork became an integral element in their lives, and started them on another journey that they never could have imagined taking.”

One participating artist, Janet McKenzie, cared for her mother and grandmother, who died of cancer within two weeks of one another. “My mother and grandmother inspired me by the example of their lives and how each confronted cancer,” says McKenzie, who had been studying painting in Europe before she returned home to take on the role of caregiver. “It is because of them that I celebrate women through my art and creatively pay homage to the miracle of being alive.”