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Healing in the Community by Lianne Payne A s this is a relatively new field of study, some of Parsons' search for models took her far from home. She O o m e people might think psychoneuroimmunology is a word used in a spelling bee to knock out the really good spellers. Those interested in art and healing know that it is the study of the mind/body connection. If you have ever spent an extended period in a hospital, visited someone who has, or been a health caregiver, and then felt drained by the experience, art could have made a positive difference. There are a growing number of people who firmly believe in the healing powers of art for the patients as well as the medical professionals, caregivers and the participating artists. In November 1994. Deep Cove resident Laurel Parsons attended the Healing and Creative Arts Conference as a representative from the North Vancouver Community Arts Council ( N V C A C ) . The ideas generated through the unlikely combination of doctors, nurses, therapists and artists inspired Parsons to begin imagining ways the creative arts could contribute to physical, mental and community health. She decided to find ways to bring these ideas to life in her own community. discovered a Healing Wall project in the Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida, where bone marrow transplant patients, their families and friends gave expression to their experience by painting ceramic tiles that were then fired and installed in the hospital. Surfing the net she found the Dartmouth. New Hampshire, K o o p Institute's Arts and Healing Initiative (http://www.dartmouth.edu/acadinst/koop/arts.html), whose four broad goals are to further the process of healing, develop more effective doctor-patient relationships, promote good health habits and enhance medical education. She also found the Oncolink's Website (http://cancer.med.upenn.edu/) gallery which displays electronic versions of artwork by very special artists --pediatric oncology patients at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Closer to home, Parsons found out about a series of workshops facilitated by Dr. C e c i l Hershler, drama therapist Trish Grainge and West Vancouver singer and composer Ann Mortifee. Workshop participants have serious physical challenges and are accompanied by a close friend or family member and a physician or therapist. Drama, singing and storytelling are used to enhance their wellbeing and improve personal relationships. The Healing Journey, a 44-minute documentary of this process, is available by calling Northern Light Entertainment at 6842888. A Study Guide has also been produced. Fueled by this kind of information. Parsons met with Kerry Burke Some a r t w o r k donated by Jason, a pediatric cancer patient w h o ( M /j s e e t n e a v u n e health Burke), a North Vancouver resident and music therapist, and Derek Simons (then director o f N V C A C ) in the summer of 1995. They came up with the basis of an arts program that would be located in the Lions Gate Hospital ( L G H ) . Some o f the ideas being considered include a collaborative mural or tile project, stress reduction workshops for both staff and patients and the creative inclusion of music in high-stress areas. With the approval in principle from L G H Administration, the N V C A C is responsible for spearheading the project and raising the funds. The North Shore Arts Commission recently approved a grant o f $2,750 to the N V C A C for this project. While other support is being sought, the Arts C o u n c i l is putting together a volunteer advisory committee to consult with the hospital staff and further define the specifics of the project. Anyone experienced and/or interested i n developing such an arts program is invited to contact the N V C A C . A permanent installation in the L G H , a triptych called North Shore Reflections, is an embroidery project by the North Shore Needle Arts and stands as testimony to the 97 women who dedicated five years of their time and skills to creating this work of art. Parsons' vision for the L G H arts project is of even more interaction between art and the patients, staff, family members and artists. Parsons dreams of founding her own arts and healing centre but is returning to school in the fall to complete her Ph.D. in music theory at the University of British Columbia. Perhaps by the time she is finished, others w i l l have caught on to the concept of healing and the creative arts and the arts program w i l l be a permanent component of the Lions Gate Hospital, as Lianne Payne is an arts administrator who recently finished a term as a member of the North Vancouver Community Arts Council. received treatment for cancer at the Children's Hospital ' Philadelphia (taken from the O n c o l i n k Website gallery). 1996 issue o f Arts Alive for more about