Each year, Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery and Smith Center for Healing and the Arts put together an exhibition that supports their mission to develop and promote healing practices that explore physical, emotional, and mental wellness and lead to life-affirming changes to those affected by cancer. This inspiring initiative features works of art by local artists, hand-selected by a group of curators, to engage in a community dialogue on healing and transformation through the arts.

This year’s show is based on the theme: OUR COMMON THREAD – and features 128 artists who created a unique piece of art from a simple circular panel. Works respond to the artist’s personal, transformational, creative journey through the universal truths of pain, joy, healing and living.

Events:

Exhibition opens on Friday, March 16, 2018, 7:00-9:00pm. FREE and open to the public.

Alchemical Vessels benefit is Friday April 27, 7:00-10:00pm. Ticketed event.

Closing reception on Saturday, May 5, 7:00-9:00pm. FREE and open to the public.

Gallery address: 1632 U Street NW, Washington DC 20009

To learn more and purchase tickets, visit the Joan Hisoka Healing Arts Gallery website.

Artist’s Statement – Alchemical Vessel by Emily Hoxworth:

We’re shaped by our life experiences. We’re also shaped by the stories we tell ourselves about why things happened to us. These narratives reinforce how we feel – amplifying shame, self doubt, anger – or joy, contentment, gratitude. In sharing the truth of our experience, we can reconsider and reframe our inner worlds, and build the empathy for each other needed to reshape our shared society. My drawing confronts the viewer with ambiguity and invites imagination through playful forms: