Nasher Sculpture Center's art and health discussion series features presenters from O’Donnell Brain Institute

The Nasher Sculpture Center is hosting a series of public talks dedicated to the relationship between health issues and the arts, presented in partnership with the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History and the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas and UT Southwestern’s Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.

This series showcases the stories of artists who creatively respond to mental and physical health issues through their artwork. By creating dialogue between experts in the discipline of art and those in the field of medicine and health, these programs offer the opportunity to better understand the mind, the body and the resilience of people facing incredible challenges.

Upcoming programs on Oct. 30, Nov. 6, and Nov. 13 feature UT Southwestern professors. Members of the UT Southwestern community are invited to attend one or more programs in this series. Admission to the lectures is $10 (free for Nasher members and students).

Reaching New Heights: Overcoming Physical Limitations (7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30)

Learn how artists like Henri Matisse and Mark di Suvero reinvented themselves when faced with life-altering physical challenges and consider how hospitals are creating new opportunities for artists to contribute to the healing environment. Presenters:

  • Kathleen Bell, M.D., Chair, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at UT Southwestern and an O’Donnell Brain Institute member
  • Sandi Chapman, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Director, Center for BrainHealth at UT Dallas
  • Jed Morse, Chief Curator, Nasher Sculpture Center
  • Bonnie Pitman, Distinguished Scholar in Residence, Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History, and Director of Art/Brain Innovations, Center for BrainHealth at UT Dallas
  • John Pomara, Artist and Professor of Visual Arts, UT Dallas

The Power of Art: Creating through Disorders of the Mind (7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6)

Explore the late works of Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Willem de Kooning, Yayoi Kusama, and Isa Genzken, among others, who remained – and remain – prolific creators of art while experiencing different forms of mental illnesses. Find out how other artists have coped with mental illness through their work and consider the benefits of arts programs that serve patients with similar challenges. Presenters:

  • Leigh A. Arnold, Ph.D., Associate Curator, Nasher Sculpture Center
  • Mark Goldberg, M.D., Professor of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics and Associate Vice President of Institutional Advancement at UT Southwestern and an O'Donnell Brain Institute member
  • Ann Marie Warren, Ph.D., ABPP, Co-Director of Trauma Research at the Level I Trauma Center at Baylor University Medical Center, at Baylor Scott & White Health
  • Bonnie Pitman, Distinguished Scholar in Residence, Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History, and Director of Art/Brain Innovations, Center for BrainHealth at UT Dallas

Seeing with the Brain: Artists and Visual Impairment (7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13)

Discover how artists like Claude Monet and Georgia O’Keeffe responded to a loss of sight and hear firsthand from a contemporary artist on how visual impairment affects his work. Also, develop an understanding of the medical issues faced by artists with eye diseases and learn how multisensory encounters with art can enrich the experiences of both sighted and nonsighted learners. Presenters:

  • Catherine Craft, Ph.D., Curator, Nasher Sculpture Center
  • Stephen Lapthisophon, Artist and Educator
  • Niraj Rama Nathan, M.D., Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology at UT Southwestern
  • Bonnie Pitman, Distinguished Scholar in Residence, Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History, and Director of Art/Brain Innovations, Center for BrainHealth at UT Dallas