Lace Up Those Walking Shoes…The Walking Gallery is on Display

DC Patient Advocate Artist, Regina Holliday is at it again with her amazing works of art.  This year she teamed up with Kaiser Permanente to create #TheWalkingGallery event on June 7th.  For one night, art will be displayed, not by hanging with nails to a wall, but on jackets of all types; worn by people.

As Regina says in her blog post, “Each one shall be painted with the story of a patient or an element of medical advocacy by me or another artist.  These masterpieces will be worn on the backs of government employees, technology gurus, medical professionals, social media activists, CEO’s of companies and artists.  It shall be a great meeting of the minds.”  You can read about the inspiration behind this concept in her blog post but it’s even more inspiring to be there and whitness how this concept has come to life.

Each person’s jacket was painted by one of many artists (Regina Holliday, Anita Samarth, Robert J Filley, Courtney Mazza, Megan Mitchell, Michelle Banks, Ben Merrion, Ess Lipczenko, Miriam Cutelis, Becca Price, and more). Look below to see pictures of the jackets.

“I really enjoyed how Regina’s theme came together with all of the walking pieces – she said that if everyone just got out and walked more, it would make us each healthier,” said HealthCentral Financial Analyst, Michelle Lang.

The music was coordinated to “walking” theme with songs such as “I would walk 500 miles” and “Walking in Memphis.”  The food was all great, healthy options of fruits, cheese, and dips (hummus!).

Kasier had handouts for those attending the event with thought-provoking questions about some of the jackets.  “Who is the Mother of All Health Care? Several jackets in the gallery make visual and/or text references to the archetypal female role of mother.  How does the artist portray these mothers? As victims, heroes, survivors, or change-agents?” I really liked that they did this – it was so much more than seeing the powerful images.  These questions sparked real conversation about the issues at hand and encourage more people to become involved in the artwork.

“Her story was a great reminder of the importance of the work of HealthCentral.  Being able to provide resources and community to those dealing with the devastating news of a diagnosis will hopefully alleviate others from having to go through similar painful experiences, Says Hannah Harter, HealthCentral Customs Programs Coordinator.  “I walked away from the exhibit with a greater appreciation for the mission of HealthCentral and a deeper understanding of the potential impact of our work.”

We’ve been enjoying all the great HHS events this week with The Walking Gallery Kicking it off on Tuesday, HealthCa.mpDC on Wednesday, and the Second Annual Health Data Initiative today.  A big shout out to Ted Smith and Susannah Fox, it was great seeing you both!