Art is Medicine: The Healing Power of Nature
An Art Is Medicine exhibit featuring National Geographic photographer Mac Stone brings the healing power of nature into Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
There is a strong parallel between a photographer looking through a camera lens and a scientist looking through the lens of a microscope. Both are in search of the minute detail that tells the bigger picture.
This dynamic is evident in the “Ecology Meets Cancer Biology” exhibit currently featured in the Art Is Medicine gallery in the Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and South Florida’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center. Art Is Medicine is Sylvester’s multifaceted commitment to lifestyle medicine and the positive influence of art in cancer survivorship.
The exhibit features striking images of the Everglades taken by National Geographic photographer Mac Stone. The noted conservationist’s appreciation for the beauty hidden deep within the swamp began as a child growing up in north-central Florida. After-school adventures included searching for fossilized shark teeth in the creek behind his house. Weekends were spent snorkeling in nearby springs.
“Foundationally, those experiences defined what I found beautiful and normal,” said Stone. “As I got into photography, I would photograph what was close to me, the swamps. This is the palette, the canvas, I work with.”
A Vision of Health: Mac Stone’s Photography on Display at the Griffin Cancer Research Building
Stone believes it’s the purity of nature that resonates with so many people, particularly those undergoing medical treatment.
“When we are going through challenging situations, especially ones as uncertain and foundation-shattering as a cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment, one of the hardest things is to feel anchored,” Stone explained. “Nature is healing, calming and helps center us. I hope my photography resonates with patients and visitors and provides a moment of respite and strength.”
Beauty and Breakthroughs
Art Is Medicine curator Desert Horse Grant learned of the exhibit through Jon Batchelor, an emeritus member of the University of Miami’s Board of Trustees.
“I was at an event and heard an art lecture by Mac Stone about the Everglades,” said Batchelor, a trustee with the Batchelor Foundation. “I recalled a conversation with Desert about securing art for patients that is both calming and beautiful. I put the two together and decided to ask Mac if he would consider being featured. He was just super gracious and enthusiastically agreed.”
Beyond the beauty of Stone’s photographs capturing the flora and fauna of the Everglades-Cypress strands, sunbathing alligators and a curious black bear, Horse-Grant connects the biodiversity of the Miami wetlands with the study of cancer biology.
“This collection pays homage to the complexity of nature and the hardworking doctors and scientists who are striving to discover and develop cures for patients with cancer,” said Horse-Grant. “While the photographer shares striking images through his lens, our scientists are collaborating to unlock understanding of the often-remarkable parallels found in nature. The Everglades are being studied to identify novel plant-based treatments that can enhance the performance of existing cancer drugs.”
Connecting Art and Medicine
It’s fitting that Stone’s exhibit hangs just steps away from where this innovative research is taking place.
“With the opening of the Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building last fall, our commitment to advancing translational medicine has never been stronger,” said Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Oscar de la Renta Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and executive dean for research at the Miller School. “Our team of more than 300 cancer-focused doctors and researchers are pioneering innovative research initiatives that are key for the development of new treatments, cures and prevention. Together, we are illuminating the path from laboratory discovery directly to the patient’s bedside.”
As an artist, Stone also appreciates the significance of light and uses it to enhance his subjects. Horse-Grant says that is one of the things that first drew her to his photography.
“It’s a ray of hope piercing through, no matter what we are looking at,” she said. “I am an eternal optimist, always looking for others to help lift our community. We will find scientific breakthroughs in this building.”
Get Involved
There are numerous ways to philanthropically support Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. For more information on donating notable works of art, please contact Desert Horse-Grant.
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Tags: Art is Medicine, Cancer Support Services, Dr. Stephen Nimer, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sylvester Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute