 |
Source: Kathleen K. Reeder
The trumpet tree
(Tabebuia rosea) inspired the quilt above by Yoko
Sawanobori, a cancer survivor. This plant is being assessed
for use in biotechnology.
|
Plants as different as “purple meadow rue,” “tree of joy,”
"bouvardia,” and “sweet potato” all share
a common theme. Chemicals derived from them are either being used,
or being tested for use, against cancer in humans. Because of
the therapeutic benefits of nature and art, these cancer-fighting
plants are also being featured in both a literal and an artistic
“garden” to educate and inspire the public.
The original “healing garden” is in Meadowlark Gardens
in Vienna, Virginia. It was planted in memory of Lenore Ann Parham,
who died in 1997 after a four-year battle with ovarian cancer.
Within the year following her death, Lenore’s husband, Dr.
Walter Parham, developed the garden in Vienna as a natural source
of comfort and inspiration for cancer patients.
Because Lenore had been an accomplished quilter and quilting
teacher, Dr. Parham also encouraged her friends to commemorate
her life by making quilts that feature the healing plants. These
artistic representations have brought the concept of the healing
garden to thousands since the Society for the Arts in Healthcare
began making them available to the public in a traveling display.
The Arboretum at Penn State recently joined the Arts and Health
Outreach Initiative [AHOI] of Penn State and the HUB-Robeson Galleries
to sponsor the “Healing Gardens Quilt Show" on the
University Park Campus. The exhibit, which contains twenty-seven
quilts, was displayed on the first floor of the HUB-Robeson Center
from April 4 until May 18, 2003, and was displayed in the Department
of Humanities at the Penn State College of Medicine in The Milton
S. Hershey Medical Center throughout June.
|
Source: Kathleen K. Reeder
Laura Parham
Oyhenart invited second and third grade students to help
her create this quilt, "Collection of Cancer-Fighting
Plants." |
At a May 15, 2003, program offered in conjunction with the display
at Penn State, Dr. Parham explained that the concept of planting
a healing garden began when he and his wife suspected that cancer
patients would find relief from stress if natural settings were
accessible to them. Since creating the garden and reading studies
about stress management, he has realized that not only cancer
patients, but the medical personnel who treat them and, indeed,
anyone experiencing severe stress, can benefit from viewing or
visiting a beautiful garden.
During the same program, the contributions of quilting to art
and well-being were discussed by Bonnie Benn Stratton, a quilter
and quilting fabrics designer. After describing how a quilt is
constructed, she compared the characteristics of traditional quilts
(with their predictable, geometric patterns) with those of artistic
ones (whose designs are more spontaneous). Ms. Stratton emphasized
that quilting provides a creative outlet for self-expression and
relieves stress. Quilters feel the dual satisfaction of creating
an article that is at once both artistic and utilitarian.
Ms. Stratton’s support for the healing gardens concept
and cancer research inspired her to create a fabrics collection
based on the plants in Dr. Parham’s healing garden in Virginia
and to donate sales from that collection to The Breast Cancer
Research Foundation. Her fabrics are available through Merryvale,
Ltd. (703-264-8959).
Another link in the connection between nature, art, and health
was described by Dr. Gordon Cragg, chief of the Natural Products
Branch of the National Cancer Institute at National Institutes
of Health.
| 
Source: Kathleen K. Reeder
Judy A. House,
a cancer survivor, provided her interpretation of Podophyllum
peltatum (mayapple) for the Healing Gardens Quilt Show. |
|
Dr. Cragg described the process used in pharmacognosy, the branches
of chemistry and pharmacology concerned with extracting and testing
naturally occurring organic chemicals, and explained how the National
Cancer Institute conducts and documents its research. The research
begins with the collection of plants and macro- and micro-organisms
from environments such as rain forests, coral reefs, deep sea
vents, and frozen core samples in the Artic. His remarks made
it clear that the molecular architecture of a newly discovered
plant substance can be beautiful in its own right, both for its
geometric symmetry, and its potential benefit to humanity.
|
