​While medicine can often isolate those within it, it is important to step back and remember that we are never truly alone. We stand amongst friends, family, colleges with whom we can take that next step and venture into the unknown. It is this network of support and love that allows one to jump in with both feet on their path to discovering more about themselves and moving forward. We don’t make this journey alone, we walk side by side through the toughest times in the constant search for adventure in our professional and personal lives. 

Medicine is a field with constant innovations and discoveries made by continually thinking outside of the box. In this piece, the ceiling forms a box that represents the limits that may be imposed by an unwillingness to step outside of one’s comfort zone or by being closed-minded. The gap revealing the sky and the peak of the bridge illustrates how challenging yourself to stay open-minded as well as to think creatively, and “outside of the box”, can help you discover and soar to new heights.

Anspaseli Handipum  (Unexpected Meeting)
Pen and crayon

I had the unexpected privilege to travel to Armenia this summer for a medical elective. The entire trip was a series of unexpected opportunities and discoveries that left a deep impression on me. The design of this piece is inspired by the Armenian Khachtk'ar or cross-stones that are unique to the region and are very intricately carved. Words written in Armenian signify some of the memories I have acquired from my trip. Pomegranates are Armenia's national fruit and their presence is a tribute to the people I met on my journey.   

​Sometimes, we feel things that cannot be explained, let alone justified.

Sometimes, we choose to portray ourselves as vibrant, whimsical characters,
because that is the only way we know how to get by.

Sometimes, we get lost...
behind this colourful mask,
within this churning sea of inexplicable emotion.
Sometimes, we lose ourselves.
 
Sometimes, you have to get lost, before you can be discovered.

Allow us to present Marie-Claude Charland, our 2016 artist-in-residence, who will be offering a variety of art workshops at Roger-Guindon throughout the semester.
 
Come and discover for yourself the various roles of art in health, for both care givers and patients: as a tool for expression, replenishment, self-knowledge, diagnostic and even transformation!
 
You can meet Marie-Claude at the Arts in Medicine students’ Art Show “Discovery” in the Atrium of the Roger-Guindon Atrium, Wednesday, February 10, from 6 to 10 p.m.

A métisse artist of Mohawk, French and Scottish descent, Marie-Claude is a versatile artist who creates masks, large figurative sculptures, paintings and mixed-media installations. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria (B.C.), studies in art therapy, traditional Indigenous teachings and a rich background as facilitator, she pursues her artistic practice in Val-des-Monts (Outaouais, Quebec).
 
Marie-Claude has participated in several art exhibitions and her artwork is part of private and public collections in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.
 
Through art-making, Marie-Claude wishes to share her profound love for our Mother Earth, and explore the beautiful, ancient teachings that come from nature. She believes that nurturing a personal connexion with the natural world (including the miracle of human biology!) can help humans more fully connect with their own hearts and transform their vision of the world.

Nous vous présentons Marie-Claude Charland, notre artiste-en-résidence 2016, qui vous offrira des ateliers d’art variés au Pavillon Roger-Guindon tout au long du semestre.
 
Venez y découvrir les nombreux rôles de l’art dans la santé, tant pour les soignants que pour les patients : comme outil d’expression, de ressourcement, de connaissance de soi, de diagnostic et même de transformation!
 
Vous pouvez rencontrer Marie-Claude lors de l’exposition « Découverte » des étudiants d’Arts en médecine dans l’Atrium du Pavillon Roger-Guindon, le mercredi 10 février de 18 h à 22 h.

Artiste métisse de descendance Mohawk, française et écossaise, Marie-Claude Charland est une artiste polyvalente qui crée des masques, de grandes sculptures figuratives, des tableaux et des installations multimédias. Dotée d’un baccalauréat en Arts visuels de l’Université de Victoria (C.-B.), d’études en art-thérapie, d’enseignements autochtones traditionnels et d’un riche bagage comme animatrice-formatrice, elle poursuit sa pratique artistique à Val-des-Monts dans l’Outaouais.
 
Marie-Claude a participé à de nombreuses expositions d’art et ses œuvres font partie de collectons privées et publiques au Québec, en Ontario et en Colombie-Britannique.
 
Par le biais de l’art, Marie-Claude souhaite faire connaître son amour profond pour notre Mère Terre et explorer la beauté des anciens enseignements qui proviennent de la nature. Elle croît que le fait d’entretenir une relation personnelle avec le monde naturel (y compris le miracle de la biologie humaine!) peut aider les humains à se connecter pleinement à leur propre cœur et à transformer leur vision du monde.  

As part of the Arts in Medicine Interest Group at the University of Ottawa Medicine, we would like to extend an invitation to attend our third annual Art Show.

The annual art show, hosted by Arts in Medicine, will take place on February 10th, 2016 at 6pm in the RGN Atrium. It is a large scale open event with entertainment and refreshments, and a showcase of all the talents we have at UOttawa. A booklet of submissions and artist statements will be distributed within the medical community, and winning submissions will receive prizes. The theme of the show is Discovery, with a link to medicine.

Nikhat, Aili, Melissa, & Tetyana
Arts in Medicine (2015-2016)

Face Value is my memoir of a highly volatile point in my life. This poem is 15 haikus connected. The beginning encapsulates my feelings during my culture shock after moving to Toronto, Canada from Kingston, Jamaica circa 2011. More than that, it also embodies my age-old insecurity of having a lip mole (if you know me - you know), and if anybody would ever love me despite having something society deems abnormal right smack-dab in the centre of my face. It's just that, I've realized my insecurities seem so damn stupid compared to the bigger things in life: for one, it ends. Nevertheless, that still lingers with you, as a human, innuh? 

The 5th stanza onwards is the story of how I met the love of my life. In finding her I underwent a whirlwind of self-discovery. An infinite pool of love you never knew you had inside you. In this piece, I have tried to symbolize this love as a promise: to shed this carapace of self-limiting struggle in order to grow and love more. I did not write this poem in medical school, but these feelings have definitely carried onto my interactions with people, especially patients: come as you are and I'll do my best to take care of you -- human to human.

My character’s own
identity placed on face
Struggling with others.

Their eyes don’t meet mine.
Am I defined by my flaw,
as ancient worn art?

Like boulders in streams,
resisting torrents a flow,
I, too, must endure.

A truth for all things:
Soon I will be washed away...
crashing waves erode.

Night with scarce starlight;
Black like a charcoal’s shadow;
standing on lush grass,

Gazing upon sky,
I cast my hope, doubt, and love-
echoed in Earth’s throat.

… and it echoed back.
Given to me was beauty,
which made me let go.

Gift of a lifetime;
something not to be squandered-
Only a fool would.

Brown eyes meet, souls dance,
hearts drumming in the moment.
Lightning when we touch.

She is the breeze that
blows away dead leaves in Fall
to allow for Spring.

​Leaves rustled by wind
don’t know where they are going,
only that change comes.

Worries wrinkling face,
like fissures caused by earthquakes,
she noticed, asked “why?”

Trembling from within,
facade aside, I convey
IN-SE-CU-RI-TIES.

She whispers in ear,
giving me love endlessly,
“Your lips are now mine.”

The boulder now sees
green moss growing in the cracks.
The stream is at peace.

Pockets full of nettles apples
In our belly and
Sweet stevia acrid on our tongues
 
We made our way from
Summer Idol
Treehouse lotus of flags and foliage
 
Handsfull of eggplants harvested
Among kale and yams of
Flower lined courtyards
 
We ran through winded tunnels
Of breakers and
Bowing trees
 
On the way to the ferry
Two white haired ladies panned
In the community cart -
 
Your hemp coat and green fluorescent hat
Burgundy fingerless gloves and
Legs and feet
Just made for running.

For me, photography started out a bit unusually. It was a couple of years ago when I was walking the streets of New York and I saw an avid photographer taking pictures very carefully of what seemed to me, random streets and buildings. But for some reason, I wanted to see what he saw. I thought maybe looking through a camera lens would change my perspective. And for me that was it. I felt the world around me come to life. The world had physically changed. Over the past few years, photography has helped me to see. It has allowed me to appreciate the complexities and the intricate details of life. For me, taking a photograph has become an intimate experience, just like a conversation with a patient. Most patient interactions involve the use of all of our senses, including sight. I believe paying attention to the patient’s body language, facial expressions, and environment can help to understand their emotions. And as one becomes aware of such subtleties, it can allow for empathetic and sensitive responses. I also think that careful observation can ultimately manifest into holistic medical care as one starts  to understand at a deeper level. I believe photography still has many more lessons to teach me that are relevant to medicine. For now though, I try my best to listen with my eyes as well.