Events Calendar

Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at only three months old, artist Dylan Mortimer explores his personal relationship to cystic fibrosis through his vibrant artwork—both terrifying and triumphant.

Everyone is invited to an exhibit opening, “As I Live and Breathe,” with the artist from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, in Medical Museum Gallery B, across the hall from the East Room (Elevator F, Level 8). Mortimer will be available to discuss his work. This event and exhibit is organized by UI Hospitals & Clinics Project Art and sponsored by Volunteer Services. The exhibit will be on display until April 17, 2020.

The constant struggle for more air is present in Mortimer’s work, but so is the hope for medical advancement and a cure in the future. Light-heartedness shimmers over serious topics like difficult breathing, lung failure, and organ transplant surgery. Mortimer layers glitter over a variety of media, of images of lungs, bronchial branches, cells, strands of DNA, and scars. Religious imagery and pop culture touchstones, too, fill his multimedia works.

This exhibit is part of the Carver College of Medicine’s annual Examined Life Conference, which explores the intersection of creative writing and the arts with medicine, health, and the human condition.

The week of Oct. 20–26 is also National Respiratory Care Week. Our respiratory therapists help our patients—like those with cystic fibrosis—breathe easier by evaluating and treating patients with breathing problems.