Dr. Arnold in the Art Exhibit booth with newly-elected Vice President for Professional Affairs Robert E. Johnstone, M.D. Dr. Johnstone won an honorable mention in the literature category.

hairing the Committee on Art Exhibits for the past four years has been a delightfully challenging task for me. Attendees of the ASA’s Annual Meeting see the final product, the art display, but are not privy to the behind-the-scenes activities of the committee, which I now think I understand. With that in mind, what follows is an overview of the 2007 exhibit from the inside perspective.

A vital component of our successful exhibits has been the interaction between Carol Klemm (and other members of the ASA staff) and David Alpern, an office staff member of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Virginia. The committee thanks them profoundly for their tireless work.

Preparation of the display is the final event of the yearlong process. On Friday, October 12, 2007, Dave Alpern and I began to deal with the many boxes of artwork that had arrived at the Moscone Center. During unpacking, it became clear that a major contributor’s paintings had not arrived but instead were returned to the original shipping location. That artist, who was en route to the meeting when we contacted her, later made digital reproductions of her works at a copy center in San Francisco. One of these won an award. Occasionally, we receive packages that have been damaged. The work that won best of show arrived in a multitude of pieces, having only partially survived what must have been an extremely turbulent voyage. We were able to reach the artist, who reassembled his sculpture in time for the juror’s review. The remainder of the unpacking was uneventful until the roof over the exhibit area began to leak during a driving rain storm.

The following morning, the committee arranged the display in time for the judging, which began at 2 p.m. One late submission, which was not considered to be of award-winning importance, deserves special recognition. “Abstract with Markers,” submitted by “Caju Smith, M.D.,” turned out to be a hoax concocted by two members of the ASA staff as a joke. In spite of its late appearance, the committee deemed it fit for display and hung it in time for the judging without knowing its true origin. That piece is symbolic of the wonderful spirit of cooperation between the committee and the ASA staff. Personally, I was elated when I learned the details.

We were fortunate to have three outstanding jurors. During the late summer, Marcia Day Childress, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Center for Humanism in Medicine at the University of Virginia, judged the entries in the literature category. Meg Shiffler and Derek Powazek were our art jurors. Ms. Shiffler is the program director of the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery. Mr. Powazek is a well-known photographer and author in San Francisco. Their enthusiasm was infectious during the several-hour period they needed to review the submissions and prepare their comments.

From noon Sunday until mid-Tuesday, the exhibit was open for viewing — less than three days for ASA meeting attendees to see works representing countless hours of work by the artists, not to mention the administrative time spent by Dave Alpern, the staff at ASA headquarters and members of the committee.

The 2008 committee is being chaired by J. Kent Garman, M.D., a good friend and wonderful colleague. I look forward to working with him during the exhibit, which will be held in Orlando, Florida.

ASA 2007 Art Exhibit Award Winners

Best of Show
Dan J. Kopacz, M.D. – “Breathless” (Bridges category)

Viewers’ Choice
William P. Arnold III, M.D. – “Web Surfer” (digital photography)

Theme: Bridges
1st: Dan J. Kopacz, M.D. – “Breathless”
2nd: Heidi L. Witherall, M.D. – “Port au Change”
3rd: David Rudderman – “Bridge Multnoma Falls”
Honorable Mention: Edward Kosick – “Bridge to Anesthesia”

Painting: Oil and Acrylics
1st: Laszlo Gyermeck, M.D., Ph.D. – “Bridge in Venice”
2nd: Susan Giesecke – “Seascape”
3rd: Oak Zi Chi, M.D. – “Grace”

Painting: Watercolor
1st: Alan Levine, M.D. – “Untitled Figure Study #3”

Photography: Color
1st: Jill F. Arthur, M.D. – “Backwards and in Heels”
2nd: Govind P. Garg, M.D. – “Lillypads”
3rd: Frederic K. Orkin, M.D., M.B.A., M.Sc. – “Venetian Façade”
Honorable Mention: Victoria Rudderman – “Two Boats One Oar”

Photography: Digital
1st: David H. Rebuck, M.D. – “Uh-Oh”
2nd: Harry J. Cozen, M.D. – “Hope”
3rd: Jerry A. Dorsch, M.D. – “Old Faithful in Winter”

Photography: Black and White
1st: David J. Rudderman, M.D. – “California Route 120”
2nd: Paul J. Tan, M.D. – “Reflection”
3rd: Gordon R. Haddow, M.B. – “Cado Angelus”
Honorable Mention: Michael Mullick – “Honduras”

Graphic Works on Paper
1st: Jessica A. Alexander, M.D. – “Fisherman”
2nd: Marcel E. Durieux, M.D., Ph.D. – “Camel Feeding”

Sculpture
1st: Alan Levine, M.D. – “Heartline”

Crafts
1st: Norma Jones – “Wise Women”
2nd: Faranack Benz – “Rainbow Bridge”
3rd: Edward Kosick – “Anesthesia Tea Time”
Honorable Mention: Mary S. Maxwell, M.D. – “Gabriella’s Smock Dress”
Honorable Mention: Jerry A. Dorsch, M.D. – “Four Seasons”

Junior Exhibitor
1st: Megan Becker – “Opening Up”
2nd: Justin Wong – “Ghost Bridge”
3rd: Kayla Rebuck – “Pine Needle Basket”
Honorable Mention: Mitsuko Kosik – “Anesthesiologist Through the Eyes of a Fourth Grader”

ASA Literature Awards
1st: Maurice S. Albin, M.D. – “Bridges to the Past: Snatches of Wartime and Peacetime Memories.”
A collection of compelling, often delightful anecdotes from a life in medicine, from a tale celebrating the healing powers of virtuoso violinists in wartime to the memory of a generous gesture that proved good preventative medicine when it saved the life of a neurosurgeon.

2nd: Kathryn E. McGoldrick, M.D. – “Inefable Betrayal: Reflections on the Doctors of Death, Torture, and Deception.”
A thoughtful, nuanced discussion of how physicians came to participate in Nazi medical experiments and atrocities, with reference to Robert Jay Lifton’s book, The Nazi Doctors, and with reflection on the ethics of physician involvement today in military interrogations that may include torture of prisoners.

3rd: Heidi L. Witherell, M.D. – “Hospital Drive.”
An evocative poem that reflects on moments in liminal zones — the predawn hours, the landscape between home and hospital, the passage from life to death — and coalesces around the lovely, strong and meditative image of a solitary heron.

Honorable Mention: Robert E. Johnstone, M.D. – “Bridging from Memories to Hope.”
A sensitive essay on the importance of the physician bridging his personal and professional lives; in this instance, drawing on his own experiences of fear and loss, memories and hope, to help patients and families who are facing similar challenges.

No award (in alphabetical order):
Magdalena E. Kerschner, M.D. – “US”
Magdalena E. Kerschner, M.D. – “Moonlight”

William P. Arnold III, M.D., is Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia.