TOUCHED BY LYME: Understanding Lyme disease through art
The organizers of this juried show hope to start a dialogue about Lyme disease through art.
Are you an artist with a connection to Lyme disease? Do you suffer from it yourself or does somebody in your life have it? Does your art work reflect your Lyme-related experience? If so, the Maple Grove Arts Center wants to hear from you.
Located in the Minneapolis suburb of Maple Grove, the center is sponsoring a juried art show called “Ticked Off Art 2014: Understanding Lyme Disease Through Art.” There are two categories: artists who are 18 and over, and a youth category for 17 and younger. There is no entry fee.
Art work can be paintings, drawings, fibers, batik, hand pulled prints, sculpture or photography.
Entries accepted into the show will be displayed at the art center from May 5-29. An opening reception and awards ceremony will be held on Thursday May 8, at 6:30 – 8.30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
If you’re not local to Maple Grove, you can email a photo of your entry to the art center in advance. If your submission is accepted by the jury, then you can ship your entry to them.
Why an art show about Lyme disease? Here’s how Lorrie Link, Executive Director of the Maple Grove Art Center, put it:
“Art offers a neutral ground for engaging and enhancing our understanding of a disease that evokes so much controversy. Art provides a venue for those afflicted to express themselves through the therapy of creating art. Finally, art provides interpretation and understanding for viewers.”
Click here for more information and application details.
TOUCHED BY LYME is written by Dorothy Kupcha Leland, LymeDisease.org’s VP for Education and Outreach. Contact her at dleland@lymedisease.org.
I like what you’re trying to do here, and hope it will help promote understanding and awareness of Lymes. I live in NJ, so will not attend, but would like to encourage all sufferers to use art as an outlet.
Some years ago, a vacation at the shore turned into a Herxing nightmare for me. The long term Lymes had gotten into my central nervous system. The new camera I’d brought became my only salvation. It allowed me to shift my focus, to look for beauty in my world, at least a few moments each day.
Later, when I saw the pictures on my computer, I had no clue I had taken them. Like a trail of breadcrumbs I’d left for myself, over time, they helped me rebuild my memories, through several years of acute illness.
A picture is worth a thousand words…so when words and language and memory had abandoned me, the pictures did the trick.
My husband and I both have Chronic Lyme. My husband, Joseph, also has Parkinson’s and turns beautiful bowls that you can see on his website. There are many others since we need to update the website.
I’m not sure how these show our connection with Lyme, but if you see the connection, we would be happy to send some bowls to your event.
Ann & Joseph Prow
I really like this idea. I wish you all the best. Is there anyone out there that feels well enough to try to do something like this as an on-line Ticked Off Art display? This way ALL those who are affected by this disease could have an opportunity to participate. As my neurological Lyme progresses and other health issues are becoming more critical I have decided just like Valerie above to pull out my camera. I can take photos when I am able to walk outdoors and putting them into i-photo takes me away to a creative place where my Lyme and other tick borne illness do not live for just awhile. I am also exploring the healing effects of meditation, guided imagery and journal writing. Art would be a wonderful way to express ourselves and an education for those who have no idea how life altering this disease really is.
I lived in Mpls for 15 years. I have chronic, late-stage Lyme, have been disabled 16 years. I have a self-portrait I painted to illustrate how sick I am. I also have many other paintings. I can email you photos or a CD of my work. I live in SD, but could probably ship the work, am very low on funds. Lyme is very serious and art, music and writing is vital to fighting it in my life. I am determined to keep painting. Some paintings are posted on FB page under photos.
This is really nice. Thanks for sharing. I just submitted an art piece & was accepted into the show. I’ve been battling pretty severe double vision & ear ringing every second of the day now for the past 2 yrs. over it. The doctors at first thought that my cranial nerve palsies might be a breast cancer metastasis to the brain…to tons of other stuff like paraneoplastic syndrome, etc. (tested for everything under the sun), but in the end, Lyme disease hit the bull’s eye of my biggest demise. I began improving with antibiotics (from a prism 18 to prism 14 in just 3 months), but then I needed another surgery; so back to 1! At one pt., I could barely walk because it had advanced. It’s mind blowing all this… How to manage it… How to get energy… How to feel like you’re not dying… How to feel happy… My heart goes out to all those & their families affected by Chronic Lyme Disease…