When receiving a medical diagnosis, patients are often bombarded with a deluge of information. Illustration to the rescue! Medical illustrations can provide insight into the anatomical and physiological characteristics of conditions affecting health and wellbeing. Through medical illustrations, new scientific discoveries are made, and we can advance our knowledge about syndromes, diseases, viruses, and general health.
So, when Louisiana Tech University’s Visual Integration of Science Through Art (VISTA) Center contacted the Louisiana Art & Science Museum (LASM) to host an exhibition titled “Illustrating Health,” LASM staff recognized that the topic was a perfect match for the museum’s mission of uniting art and science.
Illustrating Health (August 13, 2022—August 6, 2023) delves into the often-overlooked work of medical illustrators. In partnership with the VISTA Center at Louisiana Tech, LASM mounted an exhibition of 72 pieces by over 50 Louisiana Tech undergraduate students, that explore visual representations of diseases, everyday occurrences, and lifesaving research that affects the medical health of our community.
Images courtesy of Louisiana Tech University
The exhibit "Illustrating Health" features 72 pieces by medical illustrators by Louisiana Tech undergraduate students. Works include "Antibody Antigen Interaction" by Almira Bradford (left), and "Stem Cells and Biomaterials" by Emily Edwards (right).
“The Louisiana Tech VISTA Center’s program was a perfect match for the mission of LASM. VISTA students are encouraged to combine their love of art and science to encourage discovery, inspire creativity, and foster the pursuit of knowledge. As an educator and an art historian, I have always believed that if a student illustrates, designs, or creates something they gain ownership of that information,” said Tracey Barhorst, LASM Interim Curator and Public Programs Manager.
The exhibition features various images, ranging from drawings on chalkboards to full artworks, that are designed to deliver information or foster understanding about a patient’s diagnosis or care regime. The images cover topics relating to physical as well as mental health; one piece even shows how modern technology is affecting the working of our brains.
One unique piece from the collection, “Human Genome Editing” by Anna Morris, depicts both the structure of DNA and the biological processes it drives. LASM Interim Assistant Curator Beth Welch explains that by incorporating illustrations of actual people, the artist is conveying that, at its core, DNA essentially forms the building blocks of all humanity. Inspired by her work with medical illustrations, Anna Morris now attends medical school.
In addition to the Illustrating Health exhibition, LASM staff are planning two public programs, including a “Women in STEAM” after-hours panel discussion, which will take place in January.
The Louisiana Art & Science Museum's annual exhibition program, including the presentation of Illustrating Health, is sponsored by Entergy.
Illustrating Health is also supported by Louisiana Tech University, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Lincoln Health Foundation, The Health Hut, and Louisiana GEAR UP.
