A Gesture of Kindness

The Ochsner Art Program brings the healing power of art to patients and visitors

By Topher Balfer | Photos by Stephen Legendre

“Gesture,” a kinetic sculpture created by artist Lin Emery, sits in the turnaround outside Ochsner’s River Road entrance.

Just a few days after Thanksgiving 2008, Mikell Johnson pulled into the circular turnaround outside Ochsner’s River Road entrance with her husband, Peter, in the passenger seat. That morning, Peter urgently woke his wife and told her he needed to see his doctors.

Peter’s battle with cancer had begun just a few months prior, but his condition had worsened rapidly. What started as lung cancer had metastasized in his back, and while doctors couldn’t say for sure how much time he had left, they knew he didn’t have very long. By the time Mikell parked her car outside the hospital that day, Peter’s pain was even worse. He could barely move, much less get out of the SUV on his own.

Mikell rushed into the hospital looking for a wheelchair when a passing doctor asked if she was having a problem and needed help. With tears in her eyes, she told him she couldn’t get her husband out of the car.

The doctor got a wheelchair, followed her out to the entrance and “literally lifted Peter out of the car, put him in the wheelchair and took him in.”

Peter passed away the following month, but Mikell never forgot the incredible kindness and compassion that doctor showed her and her husband that morning: how he’d welcomed them with open arms and done whatever he could to support and comfort them.

That moment was still at the forefront of her mind 11 years later when Mikell received a call from Catherine Burns Tremaine, daughter of Ochsner founder Dr. Edgar Burns. Catherine was working to acquire a sculpture called “Gesture,” crafted by local artist Lin Emery, to contribute to Ochsner’s Art Program. She was hoping that Mikell would consider co-funding the donation. Made in Emery’s traditional style, “Gesture” is a kinetic sculpture, the design incorporates movement to bring the work to life and create a dimensional visual effect.

When Mikell saw the sculpture — and when she learned where it was going

to be placed — she made up her mind on the spot to help.

To her, the sculpture looked just like someone holding out their arms and even more symbolic was the sculpture’s placement, in that same circular drive where Mikell and her husband had been helped more than a decade before.

“To me, that’s what I think of Ochsner. It’s saying to people, ‘Come and we can heal you, we’ll be kind to you,’” Mikell said. “It just reminded me of the time I was there in the exact spot. That’s why it was an easy decision to help Catherine fund the sculpture.”

Catherine said that “Gesture” is part of Ochsner’s widening effort “to increase the range of art” through the Ochsner Art Program, which operates with the simple mission of bringing the healing power of art to the traditional hospital environment. Since 1994, the program has sought out pieces for both permanent collections and temporary galleries, all in an effort to inspire and uplift the patients, doctors, visitors and staff that see them.

“The name of the sculpture ‘Gesture’ gives us the opportunity to say that the gesture is welcome,” Catherine said. “And indeed, that is what the sculpture does. It welcomes all who enter the clinic from the River Road entrance.”

Art Volunteers Bill Cullison and Lorene Holbrook have worked with the Ochsner Art Program for the past 25 years to expand the artistic presence in Ochsner’s various facilities. Along with an Art Committee comprised of Art Volunteers, Volunteer and Guest Services staff, several Ochsner doctors and representatives from the Physical Plant, Bill and Lorene have sourced and organized exhibits, solicited donations and maintained the permanent collection. Art is personal for both of them. They were both inspired by the power and influence of art at young ages and now hope to share that experience with others. “Art is like chicken soup for the soul,” said Bill. “It nourishes the human

ABOVE: Mrs. Catherine Burns Tremaine (left) and Mrs. Mikell Johnson (right) made a coordinated donation to bring the Lin Emery sculpture to Ochsner.

spirit, and when the spirit is nourished, the body responds in kind.”

“A landscape, portrait or still life can offer the onlooker a sense of identification, while color harmonies and formal relationships will often please the eye,” said Bill. “Even an abstract work may offer a respite from illness or distress by allowing the onlooker to interpret the work through his or her own experience and imagination.”

Lorene saw this effect firsthand with her own mother, who expressed her gratitude for Ochsner’s efforts to expose patients to art.

“My mother was an eight-year dialysis patient and said she appreciated, actually needed, to see art with color, movement or a story to discover,” Lorene said. “It was what she needed to keep fighting to live.”

Because of the work of volunteers like Bill and Lorene and donors like Catherine and Mikell, Ochsner is now home to two galleries (Art Walk I and Art Walk II), a Spirit of Ochsner glass case in the first-floor atrium that contains smaller objects and paintings, several permanent exhibits and more. These offerings only stand to grow, and the art committee hopes to add interactive elements like a self-guided art tour with a map or digital app. Ultimately, Bill said, the Ochsner Art Program can effectively transform the way people think about — and how they feel inside — modern medical centers by simply humanizing the environment and providing peace and comfort.

“Over the years, as we stand on ladders hanging paintings and adjusting lighting, so many people have stopped to thank us and talk about the importance of what we do,” said Lorene. “This need for art is universal.”

If you would like to help bring artwork to Ochsner, please visit ochsner.org/healingart or contact Marjory Harper at mharper@ochsner.org or 504-842-7117