These images were inspired not only by stories of and from Nurses but also PSWs, Paramedics, Doctors and other medical professionals. I read all of the stories sent to me by my community as part of this community engagement project. I read local articles being written about medical professionals before and during the time of COVID19. I read many social media posts by individuals in our community talking about the current and broader experiences of our medical professionals. The medical professionals I connected with both directly and indirectly give so much, risk so much, each and every day.
They provide emotional care as well as physical care to their patients. They are with their patients through their worst, back to their best, into and past their final moments. They are the messengers of the good news and the news no one wants to give or receive. They maintain composure in the face of chaos, they push past their limits and work through conditions where proper support and resources are not made available. They are with us while we are at our most vulnerable and treat us with the dignity we all deserve, at all stages through our life and into our decline. Their chosen path puts them at great risk and provides them with great joy. It is a balancing act, a struggle, a calling, a role which benefits our society immensely. May we acknowledge and honour their importance during and beyond our moments of shared and individual crisis.
I am an artist, parent, arts educator and community collaborator working and living in central Oshawa. Art has become many things for me - a service I offer, an experience to share in academic settings. But before any of these things it serves as a place to put the parts of myself that have nowhere else to go. I recognizes how lucky I am to have this outlet.
This is a gallery-quality giclée art print on 100% cotton rag archival paper, printed with archival inks. Each art print is listed by sheet size and features a minimum one-inch border.
