It's about Love.
It's about Community.
It's about Healing.
The heart-lifting effort to collect 10,000 photographs of the affectionately-inclined from around the world.
DR. GARY CHRISTENSON is the most dedicated advocate promoting the benefits of arts in healthcare that I have ever encountered. When I first met him in December 2009, he was the co-chair of MAIHN (Minnesota Arts in Healthcare Network). Two years before that, he founded a vibrant arts program at U of MN Boynton Health Service, where he’s served as the mental health clinic director for the last 13 years. Now, in 2011, he’s the president of the Society for Arts in Healthcare (SAH), an international arts organization dedicated to advancing arts as integral to healthcare. Why does Gary think we need the arts in medicine? Read the article he wrote on the topic for the July 2011 issue of Minnesota Medicine, a monthly magazine for doctors and other Minnesota healthcare professionals. This is one powerfully committed man-on-an-arts-and-healthcare-mission. Fortunately for me, he believes just as strongly in the healing imagery of The Smooch! Project. From the moment I met him, Gary has been entirely supportive and encouraging. Based on his recommendations, I joined MAIHN and SAH, which brought the Smooch! to the attention of professionals in the arts-and-healthcare field, directly resulting in two exhibitions, three presentations, and the purchase of Smooch! photographs by Regions Hospital in St. Paul and Children’s Hospitals of Minnesota in Minneapolis. There’s also a wonderful display of 200 Smooch! photos running on a digital display at Boynton Health Service. At the time of this writing, his tireless promotion of the Smooch! to his international colleagues has given me the opportunity to bring this project to South Africa, to support the effort to bring HIV-AIDs education to a rural community. All this within two years of meeting this energetic man! And I highly doubt Gary’s Smooch!-positive influence will end there. In the short time I’ve known him, this remarkable Hero has also become a trusted and valued friend. Lucky me. Thanks so much, Gary!
I love how The Smooch! Project builds community. I completely support this project and believe strongly in the healing powers of not only expressing affection, but seeing it expressed. Thanks for all the great work!
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