For the past five years, local artists have lent their work for exhibition in the hallway between The Doctor’s Inn and the dean’s suite as part of the College of Medicine’s mission to cultivate compassionate physicians. But art actually has been a priority for the college since its inception.
“A compassionate physician is a person that feels something for their patient,” said Myra Hurt, senior associate dean for research and graduate programs. “Encouraging feeling toward your environment, toward your fellow man, is all a part of encouraging people to feel something for their patients.”
Currently in the hallway, artist Eluster Richardson’s work (above) depicts a vibrant series of subjects with quilts. In the adjacent hallway, Junia Mason-Edmonds’ artwork displays abstract scenes of live oaks.
“The purpose of art is to expose people to beauty, and get them to feel something,” said Hurt. “Beyond the beauty, it’s about making us see and reflect on things that perhaps we wouldn’t normally think about.”
Rob Jurand, general counsel, coordinates and sometimes curates the exhibitions displayed on a two- to four-month rotation. He inherited the responsibility from former Medical Humanities and Social Sciences Chair Janine Edwards. Often, the Gadsden Arts Center lends exhibits from its gallery.
“The hallway exhibits started out with vernacular art: African-American art of the South,” said Jurand.
Hurt describes how the evolution of art at the college began.
“The statue in the atrium came from a cast, a Renaissance art piece,” she said. “The college could have it if we paid to repair one of the hands. It had to go back to Italy to be repaired. The names on the base are those who contributed to get that done. Art in the building beyond that has evolved.”
Besides the atrium and the hallways near the dean’s suite, art is also on display outside the main entrance, near the Clinical Learning Center and by the learning communities on the second floor.
Richardson’s exhibit features watercolor and oil paintings centered on the tradition of quilting. The Tallahassee native described those paintings during an interpretive talk at the college.
“My mom kept house and made quilts and raised the family,” he said. “She never had a W-2 form. I wanted to bring a little recognition to her craft after she passed away at 97 years old. I wanted her quilting to live past her and, perhaps, past me.”
Hurt believes art exhibitions and talks by artists are important for the college to maintain its humanistic focus.
“It contributes to the culture that I would hope our college has — being civilized, sensitive people,” she said. “I think having an environment that’s warm and conducive to interaction is part of developing physicians that enjoy life, and enjoy their practice, and feel something for their patients.”
