Bruno Cancer Center artists featured at Birmingham Botanical Gardens

A special group of local artists' works are on display at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ Library at the Gardens.

Several artists who are part of the Art Therapy Program at Ascension St. Vincent’s Bruno Cancer Center have their pieces hanging in the hallway entrance to the library. Their pieces include acrylic, oils, watercolors and mixed media.

An opening reception was held on Nov. 4, and the art will be on display until the end of the year.

Louis Josof, an oncology counselor at Ascension St. Vincent’s in Birmingham, had the idea for the art therapy program, which launched in 2015.

Soon, donors found out about the project and wanted to support the effort. Then, the art therapy group received a grant from Forstall Art Supply and was awarded supplies to keep the project going. Josof said there have been “a lot of individual donors who have helped support the project over the years.”

Not long after the program began, Josof met the wife of one of the patients in the program. She turned out to be an artist, and he asked her to come to the program and guide them. She became their first resident artist and was with the group for almost four years.

Upon her departure, Josof took over as facilitator of the program. He said the members were able to find in themselves an artistic talent they didn't know they had before.

For several years, the group met at the Bruno Cancer Center the first and third Thursdays of each month. Just one of several cancer support services offered, art therapy is intended to facilitate creative ways for patients to respond to their cancer experience.

In the program, participants are able to express themselves through a relaxing and restorative activity and connect with others going through cancer treatment and recovery.

Needing a new space

After the pandemic began, the group could no longer meet at the hospital due to the restrictions put in place. It was through one of the members that they found a new meeting space.

“I met a lady in the group when she came into the library one day to look at used books,” said Hope Long, director of the Library at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, which is part of the Birmingham Public Library system. “We began talking and realized we were both survivors. She is the one who connected Louis and I.”

The art therapy classes began meeting at the library in June 2020 and have continued ever since.

Their meetings are held in the plant adventure zone in the education hallway. It's a self-enclosed garden that includes a covered area, ceiling fans and tables, allowing participants room to spread out. On cold or rainy days, the group meets in an indoor classroom.

Josof said the class is very therapeutic for patients, enabling them to enjoy the outdoors and express themselves artistically.

“They are amazed at the talent they uncover and discover for themselves,” Josof said. “They have fun, and for us to be able to incorporate something fun and therapeutic at same time is a plus.”

Class participants get to meet other patients and share their stories and talk about their own individual journeys, treatment or surgical procedures they've had. Josof said they always end up talking about something really positive and how they wouldn’t have met if it weren’t for this group.

Long said she considers herself an artsy person, and whenever she is working on a project, she will bring it to work with her and join in on the art therapy class.

“I'm always in and out of the plant adventure zone, so I always have an opportunity to go in and visit with them for a while,” she said. “I love having the group here, and I’ve actually taught them a class before.”

Class members have a sense of camaraderie due to their shared experience, Long said. She said she’s grateful to be able to host their bimonthly meetings at the Library at the Gardens.

“There's not a session gone by that someone hasn't thanked me for letting the group meet here,” she said. “The fact they show up two times a month, I know they love it, and they are constantly telling me how much they appreciate it and love being there.”

Josof and Long had previous conversations about displaying the class’s art, and when Long had an opening for November/December, she knew it was the perfect opportunity.

“I told Louis, ‘Let’s do it. Let’s get the art group in here,’” Long said.

Josof said the group was excited when they found out they would be the featured gallery artists at the end of 2022.

“I think they were very flattered and very humbled by the invitation,” Josof said. “We know in Birmingham there are various art associations, and artists, and many have to present a request and portfolio to be on display at the Gardens. Everyone was excited about the opening reception and the fact their art will be on display for two months.”

Dianne Riley is a breast cancer survivor who has been in the art therapy group for sometime, describing it as her twice-a-month therapy.

“It has been very therapeutic for me,” Riley said. “It's healing.”

She hadn’t done art before but had several beautiful flower paintings on display at the exhibition. She said the group was a great way to connect after her cancer treatment and encourages others to do the same.

“We have a common bond, and I think that’s made a difference for me and my journey. It’s been really good,” she said.

Camp Bluebird

This isn’t the first time the art therapy group has been on display. They had their first show at the Bruno Cancer Center in 2018, and again in 2019 before having to put it on hold due to the pandemic.

Thirty percent of the proceeds from this year’s sale will benefit the Library at the Gardens, while 70% will go to Camp Bluebird, Alabama’s only adult oncology camp.

Josof said many of the participants in the art program have attended Camp Bluebird and are really excited to donate their paintings and artwork to the cause. The last camp session was held at the end of October, the first since the pandemic, and Josof said it was a huge success.

“We go to Springville Camp in Springville, Alabama. It's a church-owned facility where we are able to give campers their own private rooms,” he said.

Also at the camp are nurses, a dietitian, counselors, chaplains, social workers and many educational projects and programs. Attendees can do as much or as little as they want during the two-night, three-day trip.

Camp Bluebird offers recreation, relaxation, crafts, activities and the opportunity to openly discuss the experiences and emotions associated with cancer with other survivors. It is open to adults, ages 18 or older, who have been diagnosed or treated for cancer. The next one will be held in April.

“We want to help them learn coping skills and coping strategies,” Josof said. “Statistically over the years, cancer patients are surviving longer, and we want to contribute to their wellness ongoing.”

I think they were very flattered and very humbled by the invitation ... Everyone was excited about the opening reception and the fact their art will be on display for two months.

Louis Josof

Josof developed Camp Bluebird 35 years ago, and it was the first oncology camp in the United States. The pilot program included 12 patients, and pre-pandemic attendance was more than 170. He has also put together a marketing kit for St. Vincent’s Birmingham to market Camp Bluebird to other hospitals.

“I was blessed to be able to travel all over the country to market our project,” he said. “At one time, it was in 24 different states with 35 different campsites all using the name Camp Bluebird. It's the first project ever that has gone national from St. Vincent’s, and I'm very proud of the project.”

For information on the gallery exhibit, visit bbgardens.org/art-gallery.