Running from October 28, 2016 to December 2, 2012 in the Holzwasser Gallery
The New Art Center in Newton (NAC) is pleased to announce The Intimacy of Memory: Reframing Loss and Overcoming Stigma in the Face of Opioid Overdose. Through this multifaceted project, NAC student Nancy Marks and her collaborator, Annie Brewster MD, invite members of the Greater Boston community to honor and remember loved ones lost in the opioid epidemic, and to rethink the narrative surrounding stigmatized deaths.
The Intimacy of Memory was featured on the CommonHealth Blog
The Intimacy of Memory was featured on NPR’s Morning Edition
The project, premised on the belief that healthy mourning is a human right, begins with a free workshop that invites participants to bring photographs and mementos left behind from departed loved ones and use them to create works of art. The pieces created will then be displayed in an exhibition that illustrates through images and audio recordings the participants’ stories and memories. The reception will feature a discussion aimed at reshaping how we think about and support all of those who are affected by this crisis in our communities. By honoring the complexity of the grieving process as well as the worthiness of the human beings who are gone, The Intimacy of Memory creates a forum for family members to express their grief and facilitates healing through the expression and sharing of memories in both visual and audio form.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
Nancy Marks founded The Intimacy of Memory Project, now in its fourth iteration, before joining forces with Annie Brewster to focus on art and storytelling amid the opioid overdose epidemic. She has been a Boston-based printmaker and painter for 25 years, and her work has been shown in numerous solo and group shows throughout Massachusetts. Nancy is on the steering committee of the Jamaica Plain Arts Association and a member of the Provincetown Arts Association. She has participated in Jamaica Plain Open Studios for seventeen years. Nancy is also a public health advocate and art teacher who is committed to helping others use art to engage in personal healing and community dialogue.
“Experiencing the death of a loved one or another profound loss can be devastating, and the fear that we will never be without grief can cause us to shut down and turn inward. This can lead to isolation, especially when we cannot find the words to communicate our feelings to others. Non-verbal experiences, such as making art, can help to create meaning out of loss and empower us to share our insights with others. For so many, it is the loneliness that comes with grieving a significant loss that can do more damage than the loss itself. How we step into our grieving—whether fresh or decades old—can determine how we move forward in our lives.” – Nancy Marks, more info at www.nancymarksartist.com
Annie Brewster, MD is a graduate of Harvard Medical School, a practicing Internist at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and the founder of Health Story Collaborative. Motivated by her belief in the power of stories to improve health, Annie started recording patient narratives in 2010. Her finished audio stories have appeared on WBUR’s Commonhealth Blog, as a part of the Listening to Patients series, on NPR.ORG, on the New York Times Well Blog, as well as in the Boston Globe and MS Focus Magazine. She has been featured in Harvard Medicine Magazine, and on the cable television program About Health with Jeanne Blake. In 2014, she presented at TEDx Fenway.
“Over the years, I have learned that one of the most healing things I can do for my patients is to listen well. Patients want to tell their stories, and to feel heard. Unfortunately, the harried climate of primary care today rarely allows for such quality exchanges, and people are left wanting. Through my work with Health Story Collaborative and The Intimacy of Memory I want to honor the arc of each story in its integrity, and celebrate the strength and resiliency of each individual. My hope is that these stories will be helpful to both participants and listeners.” – Annie Brewster, MD, more info at www.healthstorycollaborative.org
