Raising awareness of diseases through art exhibitions has become an important trend in modern health education. With its unique visual and emotional expression, art has the ability to touch people’s hearts and transcend the limitations of words and cold data. Art exhibitions not only attract a wide audience, but also stimulate public interest and sympathy for the disease, thereby driving more social attention and resource investment. The “Beyond the Diagnosis” art exhibition exemplifies this trend, opening a window into the world of rare diseases, not only improving education, but also speeding up the diagnosis of this once-invisible community.
Explore the challenges of the rare disease community
Members of the rare disease community not only bear the physical, emotional, and financial burdens, but also face a crisis of visibility. Patricia Weltin, founder and CEO of the United Foundation for Rare Diseases, said: “When you hear the word ‘rare disease’, you think it’s rare. People can’t feel sympathy for our cause because it’s unimaginable to them.”
The Origins of Art Exhibitions
As a mother of two children with rare illnesses, Wiltin conceived the art exhibition “Beyond the Diagnosis” in 2015. Her goal is to attract the attention of the medical community and bring more attention and research to rare diseases. She recruited Rhode Island artists to paint portraits of local children with rare diseases, and hung the 17 portraits at Brown University School of Medicine. In less than three years, the grassroots movement has grown rapidly into an exhibition with wide reach. “Now, we have some of the world’s top research institutes holding seminars and courses around this exhibition.”
The influence of art continues to grow
The Beyond the Diagnosis exhibition has grown as it has traveled around the country, including annual presentations at the U.S. Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration. As word of mouth and social media influence grew, hundreds of children’s portraits were drawn, and the international list of artists included many who wanted to donate their skills.
However, since the beginning of the exhibition, five of the children who were painted have lost their lives. Wiltin offered to return the portrait, but each family refused. “They want the lives of their children to continue to be the face of the disease, in order to raise awareness and promote research.”
The fusion of art and education
“Beyond the Diagnosis” not only builds a bridge between the rare disease community and the wider world, but also demonstrates the power of disease education through art. In addition, this special exhibition is an educational campaign that is changing people’s perception of rare diseases and increasing the attention and support of the rare disease community. The artist’s efforts and dedication have allowed the stories of these children to spread, sparking sympathy and concern from the community.
The power of art penetrates the human heart
Gu Wanru, the integrated marketing director of Caihong, who has participated in the media and public relations of OpenHouseTaipei’s opening of international large-scale exhibitions such as Taipei, Taipei Contemporary Art Fair, Asian Illustration Art Fair, and RE:AND Design Art Fair, and has more than 15 years of experience in medical public relations, said that the unrestrained freedom and the characteristics of questioning and reflection through works in contemporary art have made public health education no longer a one-way “information feeding”, but also opened a pluralistic “dialogue” andA space for “Go with the flow”. Such a trend can indeed bring new vitality to the static pharmaceutical public relations work.
However, this trend also tests the PR team’s deep understanding of society and humanities, the network resources in the art field, and the client’s preference for the type of artistic expression. The team has a number of projects combining art and medicine in the future, and looks forward to the opportunity to show the wonderful cases of Taiwan’s local medical public relations and art.
