Wellness in Colour medical staff art exhibition celebrates the healing power of art

Providence Health Care’s first-ever medical staff art exhibition showcases creativity and the human side of medicine, while fostering connections and well-being within the community.

Dr. Andrew Seal: “Bouquets of Gratitude”

Wellness in Colour is a collaboration between Well-Being Art Walls (WAW!) and the PHC-PASS Medical Staff People Pillar, which supports wellness, connections, and community for medical staff.

The WAW! initiative creates dedicated wall spaces throughout Providence buildings for temporary exhibitions of artworks created by patients, staff, physicians and medical staff.

A number of medical staff contributed artwork to display on walls at Mount Saint Joseph’s Hospital and St. Paul’s Hospital through December, 2024. The exhibition continues online.

Dr. Ana-Luiza Sayao, a PHC neurologist and the People Pillar lead, hosted a showcase of the artists and their art at the December Medical Staff Quarterly. She spoke to the connection between medicine and art.

“Medicine and art are really hopeful aspects of human existence. Through medicine, we witness human suffering and triumphs. Artists do the same by expressing the depth of humanity. What a great way to bring these seemingly opposite, yet interconnected, worlds together.”

Anabella Alfonzo, PHC’S art collection curator, reflected on the intentional integration of art into the organization’s mission and spaces to improve well-being.

“‘Wellness in Color’, the first-ever ‘WAW’ exhibition, is a testament to the creativity and resilience of our medical community. Art helps us tell our story, reflect our mission, and connect with one another.” – Anabella Alfonzo

The artists and their works

The exhibition features pieces created by medical staff, showcasing a range of experiences. Dr. Sayao invited several contributors to speak to their inspiration and vision.

	Dr. Andrew Seal, a general surgeon, presented two contrasting acrylic paintings entitled “Two Bouquets of Gratitude.” “They show gratitude to Providence Health Care heroes and the resilience we’ve built together, especially during COVID. I hope these pieces convey appreciation and beauty to everyone who views them.”
	Dr. Daniel Dodek, a family physician, and wellness lead for the Vancouver of Division Practice, contributed two works – including a collaborative painting created with his teenage children during the pandemic entitled “Serenity.” “It was a gratitude exercise during a distressing time, helping me reflect on the beauty around us.” “Working with art helps exercise my brain in a different way than medicine. It helps me deal with uncertainty.”
	Dr. Katherine Chow, an internal medicine physician, presented a vivid and abstract collage entitled “the Sun,” created by her four-year-old daughter, who joined the presentation as a special guest. “The art reminds me that life can be messy but beautiful.”
	Dr. Shanta Chakrabarti, a cardiologist, delved into themes of vulnerability and solitude. His piece entitled “The Palette of Humanity,” was inspired by masks worn during COVID, and symbolizes the emotional barriers we often hide behind. “We are all human, with vulnerabilities. This is looking into human side of all of us, to say that we are allowed to be broken. We are allowed to be of different moods, colors, emotions, vulnerabilities, and still, we function.”