Welcome to the Georgetown Lombardi Arts & Humanities Program (AHP) newsletter. In this week's issue, the AHP is excited to announce that Lombardi Voices 2024 is available for download, we hear from AHP artists about the benefits of interdisciplinary art practices, and we spotlight artwork by artist-in-residence Lauren Kingsland that is part of an exhibition in Denver, CO.

“Lombardi Voices” is Now Available for Download

We are pleased to announce that the Spring 2024 edition of Lombardi Voices is now available for download!

Each year, the Arts and Humanities program publishes a collection of poems by participants in our expressive writing program. Lombardi Voices is made possible with support from the Kathleen A. Beard Endowment for the Arts and Humanities.

For more information and to submit poetry for future editions, please email Arts and Humanities Program Manager, Noni Ford at nf332@georgetown.edu.

AHP Artists-in-Residence Reflect on the Benefits of Cross-Disciplinary Art Practices

Many artists who are skilled in one medium decide to learn new techniques. Their reasons vary. Some are trying to solve a problem. Others hope to boost their creativity. As members of the Arts in Health field, AHP artists are also mindful of how developing creative skills can impact their wellbeing. In this interview, two AHP artists discuss their approaches to cross-disciplinary art practices. Kaykay Kindy is a movement artist and yoga teacher. She started knitting with the help of artist-in-residence, Claire Wagner. Lauren Kingsland, a fiber artist, added movement to her quilting classes with her collaborator, Carrie Monger.

Kaykay Kindy

You are primarily a yoga practitioner and teacher. What drew you to learn knitting?

One day a family member sent me an article about knitting. The woman in the article said knitting helped her with chronic pain due to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a connective tissue disorder. Since I was diagnosed with EDS in 2020, I’ve tried many strategies to help cope with my chronic pain. After reading the article, I decided to try knitting and instantly loved it. I found that it gives my mind something to focus on when my body needs to be lying down. Now I can rest and engage my creativity at the same time. It has certainly helped my overall wellbeing.

As an artist, do you think there are benefits to “cross-training” in different art forms? If so, what are they?

Absolutely! I think sometimes we get stuck in boxes of being one type of artist, usually the one we are the “best” at. At least this is how I feel. It can be scary to try a new art form. However, I think it is important, especially as teachers, that we remind ourselves what it’s like to be a “beginner” again. When we remind ourselves what that feels like, we can guide our students on how to move through roadblocks. Also, creativity is creativity! Regardless of how we approach it, engaging with art promotes emotional regulation and healing. As a movement artist with chronic pain and fatigue that can worsen from exertion, I can’t always use my main form of artistic expression. So, I’m grateful to have found another form of art to explore. I can meet my body where it’s at and continue creating. That’s what art should do. Support you where you are in that moment. That’s why I think it’s good for everyone to have multiple tools for creativity to draw from. I’m a yoga practitioner and teacher so my intention behind movement and creativity always goes back to mindfulness - focusing on the present moment with openness and non-judgment. Hands-on art like knitting, involves mindfulness, just like yoga or dance. Art requires presence and attention. The more we participate in activities involving intentional focus the better we get at being mindful. That meditative feeling I seek from movement, I now also receive from knitting.

Lauren Kingsland

What drew you to combine one another’s medium in your classes?

Carrie was originally the tech host for my handwork class. Our collaboration evolved with the addition of simple stretches led by Carrie. One day when I was teaching a snowflake embroidery project she led a dance sequence based on the embroidery movements. Students were so delighted. The class is more fun and more holistic because we all connect the our bodies and minds in a variety of ways.

As an artist, do you think there are benefits to “cross-training” in different art forms? If so, what are they?

The benefit of cross-training is an enriched offering for students. It's great to see firsthand the differences and similarities of how another discipline develops an idea into a creation. I see the structure behind creating a new dance, and have learned some of the language dancers use to describe what they do. We act as a collaborative team. Because our training and disciplines are different, we can complement one another's offerings, without any competition. This is an excellent opportunity to model positive, respectful relationships for anyone watching.

Do you have a particular kind of approach when learning something new—particularly a new art medium?

My approach as a teacher is to offer new tools for creating a fiber art object and the vocabulary to talk about the process of creating fiber art. As a student, I want to know the basic techniques that will let me progress in learning with an idea of where the practice is leading. Learning something new keeps me moving. In the case of our class, I have a commitment to uphold and respect the work of my colleague along with the students, and in the presence of the students. Carrie’s presentation is as important as mine; we are a team. I get excited by putting movements together because it is new for me.

Lauren Kingsland on the Inspirations Behind 'Blown Out of Proportion' and 'Life's Journey'

We recently had a chance to catch up with artist-in-residence Lauren Kingsland about a new art show at The Lab on Santa Fe in Denver, CO displaying some of her artwork. Primarily a fiber artist, who continues teaching online classes for AHP, Lauren moved to Denver in 2023. Below, Lauren offers her insights into and inspirations for “Blown Out of Proportion” and “Life’s Journey,” two of the pieces in the show.

Blown Out of Proportion

"Blown Out of Proportion" features 15 traditional, stylized houses, inspired by the quilting tradition of pieced houses. Each house has the same elements but stretched and distorted. For example, the green walls change into trapezoids and rectangles, as if blown by the wind. This piece reflects my response to community turmoil. As a community leader, I felt powerless when I couldn't fix a common upset, so I created this artwork. Interestingly, it was displayed at a women's shelter gallery once. I intended to show destruction starting in the upper left corner and falling apart by the lower right corner. However, the people at the shelter saw it as aspirational. They identified with the falling apart house and noticed that if you read it the other way, things were coming back together. At the top was wholeness. It's fascinating how viewers can have different conversations with the piece.

Life's Journey

"Life’s Journey," was made through improvisation and includes hundreds of diverse fabrics. Some fabrics are part of a Route 66 travel series, featuring the Hollywood sign and other iconic references. It's like a collage with various images and abstract designs, full of bright colors and right angles. There are no triangles or curves, just right angles. It can be quite exciting for those new to contemporary quilts.

The Georgetown Lombardi Arts & Humanities Program (AHP) promotes a holistic approach to healthcare for patients, caregivers, physicians, nurses, staff members, and students through the use of music, dance, expressive writing, and visual arts. These therapeutic modalities are normally provided throughout the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., and online through Eventbrite courses. The AHP is a program of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Please consider making a gift of any size to support the AHP so we may continue to grow and provide arts and humanities programming for our wonderful communities.