Bridgette Mayer Gallery Presents: Trauma, Art & Transformation Discussion Panel at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Bridgette Mayer Gallery Presents:
Trauma, Art & Transformation
Discussion Panel at
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
November 1st, 4:30 – 6:00pm
Philadelphia, PA - October 9, 2024. Bridgette Mayer Gallery in partnership with the George Family Center for the Healing Arts of Rowan University is thrilled to announce a panel discussion: “Trauma, Art and Transformation,” featuring Gallery artist Holly Wong, Gallery Director Bridgette Mayer, Artist Dr. James George, and Inaugural Director of the George Family Center for Healing Arts, Morgan Yacoe. The panel will take place on Friday November 1st from 4:30 – 6:00pm at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Rhoden Auditorium.
The panel discussion is in celebration of Wong’s first solo exhibition at Bridgette Mayer Gallery, titled Incantations which features collaged paintings on shaped aluminum, drawings, and a room-sized installation that explores the themes of healing through mining of memory and the revealed beauty of personal transformation. Additionally, the panel will also celebrate the opening of the George Family Center for the Healing Arts of Rowan University and Dr. James George will have the chance to discuss the healing power of art and what this important institution will be doing for patients, caregivers, visitors, staff, and students. Gallerist Bridgette Mayer will share excerpts from her book, The Art Cure, and how art transformed and helped her to create a thriving life in the arts. Rounding out the panel, Morgan Yacoe will discuss art therapy and her experiences in art that she brings to her career and her life as the Director of the George Family Center for Healing Arts.
Art has the power to heal and transform those who have suffered from emotional and physical trauma by generating connection through shared stories. To showcase this potential, panelists will share how their relationship with art strengthened their ability to process, express, and overcome their past trauma and ultimately thrive in the world. The panel will also focus on the benefits of art therapy, by highlighting the programming of the George Family Center for the Healing Arts of Rowan University.
About the Panelists:
Holly Wong creates collaged paintings and drawings as well as fiber and drawing-based installations that explore healing and resilience. She was educated at the San Francisco Art Institute where she graduated with a Master of Fine Arts. Wong has participated in over 100 exhibitions including group shows at the de Young Museum, the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Contemporary Jewish Museum. A Presidential Scholar in the Arts, she has received grants from the California Arts Council (Established Artist category), the Puffin Foundation, the George Sugarman Foundation, and the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund. She is represented by Bridgette Mayer Gallery in Philadelphia. Wong lives and works in San Francisco.
Bridgette Mayer founded one of Philadelphia’s preeminent contemporary galleries, Bridgette Mayer Gallery, in 2001.The Gallery has earned a national reputation for finding and cultivating American abstract artists over the last decade and today represents nearly two dozen leading established and mid-career artists.
Building on 23 years of experience in the national art market, her professionally curated program facilitates access to innovative works from a diverse group of artists engaged on both a local and global scale. Bridgette Mayer is a leader in the Global arts community, actively partnering with local organizations to support fundraising initiatives and generating opportunities for our artists to engage with the public. Mayer is able to utilize all of her resources when approaching a client’s specific needs for projects.
Dr. James George has dedicated nearly 50 years to emergency medicine. He earned his MD and JD concurrently from the University of Louisville while serving as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserves Medical Corps. An early adopter of emergency medicine, he served on the Board of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and authored several books. A co-founding member of TeamHealth and the law firm George & Korin, he specialized in defending healthcare providers. In 2016, an injury led him to the healing power of art. He is a prolific abstract painter. His artwork is now displayed at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, and other healthcare facilities across the region. He received the Adam Taliaferro Foundation Award and continues to paint and spend time with loved ones.
Morgan Yacoe is the Inaugural Director of the George Family Center for Healing Arts at Rowan University. A sculptor by training, she earned her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and her MFA from the University of Florida. Yacoe is an interdisciplinary artist, researcher, and educator who blends art and health to foster learning and improve healthcare. Her innovative projects include developing novel medical educational tools and techniques to integrate art into medical training. In addition, she has managed research and programming for arts in public and community health projects in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO). Yacoe has presented at conferences across the country, published her research in medical journals. She recently received the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Institutional Excellence in Diversity Equity Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) in Biomedical and Behavioral Research Prize for her work in medical education.
George Family Center for the Healing Arts of Rowan University
Through arts in health, the Dr. James E. George, M.D., J.D. & Family Center for the Healing Arts of Rowan University aims to improve hospital, clinical, educational, and community experiences for everyone including patients, caregivers, visitors, staff, and students. They achieve this by fostering health and wellness through the arts within and beyond the Rowan community. Their approach includes one-on-one and group interactions, community outreach, exhibitions, accessibility initiatives, and research efforts.