April 7-9, 2022 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Abstract: Visual / Virtual / Viral: Communicating Disease and Disability Experience through Art in the Digital Age
More and more people living with chronic illness and/or disability are turning to art as a form of therapy and creative expression. As a result, the digital landscape is changing, and the way we communicate our personal experiences is changing along with it. Modern technology has not only expanded our ability to connect on a large scale; it has produced entirely new media with which to create – from diagnostic imaging tools to digital illustration software. This study examines the role of art in communicating personal disease narratives in the digital age and the impact of these works on our collective understanding of chronic illness and disability. In this presentation, I explore the work of artists like Elizabeth Jameson, who reclaims her own medical data by creating colorful portraits from her MRI scans. Other artists, like Emma Jones, have launched movements that encourage the participation of people with chronic illnesses around the world. These movements continue to grow online and off, with craftsmen like Evan Hebenstreit merging the traditional art of woodcarving with an international awareness campaign. This critical work is especially significant in the age of COVID. The pandemic has forced many of us to reexamine the way we connect on a daily basis, shifting much of our once face-to-face communications to a digital space. This digitization of communication certainly has its limits, but it has also opened the door to innovation; nowhere is this more apparent than within the disability and chronic illness communities. In a population that has largely been connecting virtually for years, this shift has led to ripple effects that can be seen in the work of artists and in the unique methods they use to share their art with the world. Members of the chronic illness and disability communities may hold the secret to creative virtual communication; in this presentation, I’ll challenge the audience to consider what we can learn from these “experts” in human connection.