The exhibit called “The Art of Neurosurgery” features nine works by renowned neuroscientist and artist Greg A. Dunn, whose prints, paintings and microetchings have been displayed in exhibits across the nation. The installation will be open to the public for the next several months in the Rick Smith Gallery, a small art gallery located near the main lobby of Memorial Hermann-TMC in the Hermann atrium.
“We are so thrilled to welcome the top neurosurgeons from across the country with this breathtaking artwork from an artist who has an uncanny ability to capture the awe-inspiring nature of neuroscience,” said Brian Dean, Memorial Hermann’s Senior Vice President and Regional President-Central Region. “His images, both beautiful and captivating, provide the perfect backdrop for this esteemed meeting of the minds here in Houston.”
The exhibit opened Friday to help welcome the 108th Annual Meeting of the Society of Neurosurgical Surgeons, an annual gathering of neurosurgery leaders. The conference, which is expected to draw 300 physicians from all over the United States, is being held in Houston for the first time, including a day-long visit at Memorial Hermann Mischer Neuroscience Institute at the Texas Medical Center (MNI), where retired astronaut Mark Kelly is slated to address the crowd as a guest speaker.
Kelly has long been a champion for neurosurgical breakthroughs following an incident in 2011 when his wife, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, required emergency treatment after being shot in the head at pointblank range outside a grocery store in Tucson, Az.. Giffords spent several days recuperating in MNI’s Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit before she was strong enough to transfer to TIRR Memorial Hermann for rehabilitation.
A multidisciplinary team of affiliated physicians, nurses and therapists at TIRR who specialize in traumatic brain injury worked extensively with Giffords to help her regain her independence. She has made remarkable progress, and in the years since the shooting, Giffords has been seen hiking, biking and even skydiving, providing a powerful testament to the transformative ability of neurological medicine.
“The Art of Neurosurgery” is the gallery's 10th installment since it opened in 2012. Previous exhibitions have featured paintings, photographs, mixed media and sculptures by physicians and hospital employees; professional photographic images of the Campus' beloved therapy pets; hand-drawn portraits of caregivers by pediatric patients; and a history of Memorial Hermann Life Flight®.
The Rick Smith Gallery, which was funded through employee contributions to an annual employee campaign, was created in memory of Rick Smith, the late director of Chaplaincy Services at Memorial Hermann-TMC who understood the importance of healing the body, mind and soul. He led by example, demonstrating how spirituality in the workplace supports an environment of healing, and he often encouraged self-expression in others as a way to make a personal contribution to that healing. The gallery is an expression of his vision and spirit. It is open to all employees, patients and visitors, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.