USC Verdugo Hills Hospital (USC-VHH) recently hosted a reception marking the opening of the fifth USC-VHH Healing Arts Exhibit, featuring the watercolors of Gayle Roski and iPhone art of Kitty Keck.

Roski featured images from her trip to Guatemala accompanying Lawrence Douglas Dorr, MD, professor of clinical orthopaedic surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, who performed pro-bono surgeries on behalf of Operation Walk for people who cannot afford the medical procedures. Roski’s watercolors, subsequently donated to USC-VHH, also serve as the core illustrations for her book The Crooked Man, His Doctor and His Angel which chronicles Dorr’s work and Operation Walk’s mission.

Kitty Keck’s iPhone art reveals colorful images of nature, landscapes and still life featuring everyday objects, taken with an iPhone X.

USC-VHH CEO Keith Hobbs, MBA, opened the program, describing how each Healing Arts Exhibit builds awareness of the hospital’s Healing Arts program by showcasing the work of featured local artists. He pointed out the hospital’s tremendous growth, while maintaining the shortest emergency department wait time in the region.

Hobbs was followed by co-creators of the Healing Arts program — Sue Wilder, chair of the hospital’s Foundation Board, and Julie Shadpa, art therapist and curator of the Healing Arts Exhibits. They spoke about the program’s evolution and how art helps create a welcoming, uplifting and positive experience for patients and families, inspiring them with beauty, harmony, health and hope.

They were followed by Kitty Keck, who spoke about her art, and Gayle Roski, who spoke alongside Dorr about the Operation Walk mission. The program concluded with Roski and Dorr signing complimentary copies of Roski’s book.

The overall purpose of the Healing Arts program is to enhance and beautify the healing environment for USC-VHH patients, families and staff.  Each exhibit features local artists, highlights the beauty of the area and supports community partnerships. All artwork is for sale, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the USC Verdugo Hills Hospital Foundation.

— Carolyn Kamii