Art therapy is a mental health service that integrates the creative process with other therapeutic experiences to support patients. It has been found to reduce anxiety, improve healthy coping mechanisms, enhance self-esteem, and improve cognitive and sensorimotor function, as well as a variety of other benefits to mental health. The patients, caregivers, and art therapists from the IU Health Complete Life Artshow invite you to try “Finding Calm in the Chaos” within their show. Each artist explores their personal challenges and how they have overcome hardship in their respective pieces. These works, in conjunction with the statements made by each artist, elaborate on the value of creativity during trying circumstances.

*Clear the Air*
Maureen Bard
Family Member
12” x 12” cardstock

In a horde of brightly colored paper butterflies, one skeletal and dainty butterfly emerges. For Maureen Bard, the artist behind the piece, each tiny, chaotic butterfly represents the swirling thoughts and anxieties of a patient battling cancer, with each hue representing a different type of cancer. The white butterfly, however, represents hope and the peace of acceptance.

*Courage Under Fire*
Julie C Moreno
IU Health Team Member
16” x 16” acrylic on canvas

Hued stripes of acrylic paint form the visage of a male lion in this piece. The charcoal background centers the cacophony of color found in the lion’s mane. IU Health team member, Julie Moreno, who painted the lion, says he represents the “best qualities” of all the Riley team members saying, “courage and calmness under fire are beautiful traits of our finest here at Riley…”

Kelly Shannon
Patient/Survivor
Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer
28” x 12” mixed media collage

This female form is molded with paper clippings in this piece. Her smooth curves and rolling hair are fragmented by images and text running in tangled strings of thought. Breast cancer patient Kelly Shanon says her piece reminds her of the overwhelming nature of the diagnoses, treatments, and scan results that make the life of a cancer patient challenging. The fragments of text and paper in the piece are her own, “medical reports, prescriptions, procedures, pamphlets, and get-well cards.” When viewed from up close the piece looks disjointed and chaotic, only by taking a few steps back can the complete form of the woman take shape. It seems this effect was intentional, as Shanon puts it, “Being able to look at it all together helps me to realize how far I have come.”

The 2022 IU Healh Complete Life Artshow has been on display in the Underground Gallery through the month of October.