Artists in residence are often asked what it’s like to be an artist, musician, and/or writer working at the hospital bedside. So Arts in Medicine sought to outline their experiences through multimedia journal entries, written by the artists in residence, in a series titled Artists’ Journals.
One unique perspective that the program had not considered until now is that of the caregiver, who is typically found observing their loved one’s visit from an artist in residence from the perimeter of the room, thus allowing the patient to fully engage with the artist.
Enter Betsy Fisher, a mother, writer and champion of AIM who developed a bond with the program through her son Marshal’s experiences with art in the healthcare setting. While Marshal was busy creating art and engaging with artists at his hospital bedside, Betsy wrote in her journal her perspective of those visits. Watching artists engage with Marshal from a hospital room chair, re-entering the room after Marshal’s Arts in Medicine session had ended, and Betsy’s own relationship with the artists and AIM are what inspired Betsy’s writings.
Her rich testimony to the power of the arts in health is moving, and her perspective is unmissable for those working in the arts in healthcare setting.
Read Betsy’s first installment of Artists’ Journals.
Special thanks to AIM writer in residence Andrew Hix, who guided the curating and editing of this collection.