UCLA Journal of Radiation Oncology SUMMER 2024 - Flipbook - Page 12
UCLA RADIATION ONCOLOGY JOURNAL
poems. There are also many local arts and health
providers who are willing to come to hospitals for
patients to experience the art in safe ways. This is a
growing 昀椀eld.”
work: as an exploration or journey with no thought
to the 昀椀nal outcome. In the late 90s, the professor
for a freshman-level art course I was in had us read
writings from the artist Audrey Flack. One of the
articles has remained with me: Flack posited that
Jackson Pollock would have been saved by art if he’d
been allowed to make what he wanted, been able to
continue to play and explore with his work. She went
on to state that the commodi昀椀cation of his work, the
feeling of being stuck creating what others wanted
him to create, drove him to the alcoholism that
eventually killed him. Smith has taken the opposite
route, never promising a series like the last, and
never comparing her art or her level of skill to that
of anyone else. What is most compelling about Kiki
Smith’s work and her life as an artist is her curiosity,
her consistent shift from one medium to another,
from one subject to another. And, too, I discovered
in conversation with her that the “aboutness” of her
work isn’t something she thinks about: once a work is
made and released to the world, she does not believe
it is her business to tell the viewer how to react
or what to think of it. The catalyst for Lilith, long
seen by myself and my contemporaries as a feminist
statement, was not intentionally so, but rather an
exploration of defying gravity in the way dancers do.
In terms of what cancer facilities are doing to provide
patients with more holistic care, they reference
the Maggie Centres in the U.K. Magsamen says,
“Maggie Centres are a great example of humanizing
healthcare. Creating natural, nature or biophicenriched spaces to process really, really bad news and
also to heal through treatments that make you feel
sicker.” Magsamen has had cancer, and intimates,
“Creating safe spaces where you can experience
your emotions and those of your family is essential.
Processing emotions that don’t have words is also
critical. We feel before we cognitively know what
emotions are words to share. Art making is very
valuable in reaching into the unconscious to bring
forward what is next to be known.” She recommends
tasks or art with repetitive motion, touch, changing
the lighting and colors in treatment rooms as well
as adding music, exposure to nature, and journaling
as a few easy ways to ease the experience. She adds,
“Healthcare workers are absolutely burned out as
well. Research is showing us that just 15 minutes
in an arts experience helps to relieve stress and
anxiety. Music can also be a huge bene昀椀t. We need to
humanize medicine.”
What Smith is doing through her art is thriving and
昀氀ourishing. But for most of us, Magsamen and Ross
share, “We believe that the Neuroarts should be part
of your day like good nutrition, exercise, and sleep.”
In Los Angeles, many museums are free and their
exhibits change frequently. Too, Magsamen and
Ross encourage practitioners to experience the arts
they might prescribe, “When healthcare workers and
leaders have these experiences, they are advocates.
We 昀椀nd that the best advocates are those that have
tried listening to music, looking at art, writing
While it would be impossible to have an interactive
AI experience during, say, the radiation process,
Magsamen thinks there are other possibilities.
“Distraction, immersion, daydreaming, and fantasy
story are important ways we can disconnect. I am
interested in games that help you create a hero’s
journey story.” Magsamen and Ross highlighted the
incredible work Kids & Art Foundation is doing;
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