Scalpel to Sketch: the science and beauty of medical illustration at Mayo Clinic is now open at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, featuring a stunning collection of medical illustrations and multimedia installations.
The exhibit’s 150 illustrations are arranged along the walls of the gallery space, broken into seven themes. The linear display allows guests to browse the illustrations without getting overwhelmed by the number of illustrations or from the sheer detail of the works.
Children and adults can enjoy the exhibit on many different levels, from an artistic, intellectual or content-related standpoint, while the linear display promotes an unhurried viewing experience.
Guests can spend hours reveling in the rich detail and stunning contrasts of the carbon-dusted illustrations, admiring the artist’s craftsmanship without even needing to delve into the educational material posted with each work. On the other hand, guests can spend hours soaking in the informative and instructional material as well.
For the both children and adults, the gross-out factor climbs fairly high in several of the illustrations, giving a tantalizing thrill from getting a worm’s-eye-view of a patient’s open throat during a surgery, or from the illustration depicting the repair of a catastrophic self-inflicted head wound. It’s definitely gross, but it’s captivating, and even beautiful. You feel like you shouldn’t stare but you just can’t look away.
The exhibit and the artistry of each illustration is as informative as it is beautiful, and should be a must see attraction during the summer. A great bonus to the show is the free medical illustration guide books, donated to the Cummer by the Mayo Clinic. The guide is a wonderful informative supplement to the illustrations and also contains several blank pages for notes and sketches, which could be a big hit with the kids.
The exhibit runs through September 28 at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, located at 829 Riverside Avenue in Jacksonville.
The Cummer’s hours are Tuesdays 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. The Cummer offers Free Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
For more information call 904.356.6857 or visit www.cummer.org
