The Community Gallery at GCCA proudly presents Art & Healing, a personal and inspiring exhibition featuring 13 artists from the Carolina’s who have faced cancer and found solace, strength, and healing through their artistic practices. This group exhibition highlights the intersection of art and healing, revealing how creative expression can be a powerful force in navigating the physical, emotional, and mental challenges of a cancer diagnosis and recovery.

Artists Carol Funke, Elisa M. Golden, Susanne Floyd Gunter, William Jameson, Diane Hopkins Hughs, Christina Laurel, Cheryl Lecroy, Monita Mahoney, Linda McCune, Marilyn Murrell, Michael Stoner, Carole Knudson Tinsley, and Joel Wilkinson will showcase a diverse range of works, from paintings and wood sculptures to photography and collage. Each artist reflects on their unique journey of resilience, coping, and healing through their creative process.

This exhibition underscores the therapeutic benefits of art-making, echoing research that suggests engaging in creative activities can reduce pain perception, alleviate anxiety, and promote emotional well-being. For these artists, their practice has been both a refuge and a lifeline, providing focus, meaning, and beauty during one of the most difficult times of their lives.

As Linda McCune reflects, “Both COVID and cancer’s isolation and loss of autonomy made working through these emotions a necessity.”

Carole Tinsley adds, “Our making art contributes to our healing journey, as well as brings added meaning, beauty, and a sense of peace to our day-to-day routine.”

For Christina Laurel, “It was the creative spirit – whether I was physically making art or not – that propelled me through my cancer treatment.”

Diane Hopkins Hughs describes the profound impact art has on healing: “The maker of art experiences involvement unlike any other; to be totally absorbed and in another ‘zone’ is a remarkable experience for healing the mind and the body.”

Art & Healing offers a unique opportunity to engage with works that communicate resilience and hope. The exhibition will be a reminder that cancer, while deeply personal, touches all of us. We invite the community to witness the power of art in the healing process and to be inspired by the courage and creativity of these artists.