Category: Visual Arts

Historical Perspectives in Art: The Value of Art History in a Pandemic: Teaching as a Healing Force

In this powerful reflection, Siobhan Conaty shows how art history as a health humanities discipline can provide two uniquely different (yet equally important) teaching methods for students reckoning with a health crisis. One negative (a critical reading of graphic pandemic images) and one positive (looking to art as a powerful healing instrument), each serves an important purpose. Conaty details the positive approach she recently chose for her students — emphasizing art as a healing force.

War Photography: The Physical and Psychological Costs

Exploring the lives and careers of 12 extraordinary war photographers, Anthony Feinstein, PhD, underscores the grave danger these visual historians encounter when covering conflict and raises our awareness of the individuals behind the camera, who risk their lives to bear witness to violence and suffering.

Art Saved My Life

Bill Forester reflects on re-discovering himself after suffering a massive hemorrhagic stroke. Realizing that he would not be returning to work, Bill and his family devoted their time to his rehabilitation, embarking on an ambitious path of trial and error and the ultimate discovery of painting as a medium for rehabilitation.

Visual Design: Exploring Data Visualization in Neuroimaging

In this visual arts piece, Dr. Michael Borich’s image of the structural architecture of brain fiber pathways is more than a compelling visual display of a diffusion tensor imaging technique. He uses data visualization to underscore the importance of understanding and appreciating visual design as we seek to adequately try to portray and convey complex analyses and multi-dimensional information.