The Flower Walk

The Flower Walk at Stamford Health Bennett Cancer Center was commissioned to brighten the covered walkway to the Bennett Center. I knew I wanted to use images from nature to counteract the grey cement walls, and landed on the idea of large flowers floating down the breezeway, with a cherry tree at the doors to commemorate the trees that once grew in this spot. I chose local flowers with medicinal and healing properties, and drew them large enough to fill the space. I was fortunate to get an assist from my daughter, Anabel Siegal, who helped me get my drawings on the wall. As I painted, almost every person who passed by stopped to talk. They expressed gratitude that the hospital was caring for them in this way, and many shared memories the art brought up - times they had made art themselves, or of loved ones who gardened or painted. Others let me know that the art provided a momentary respite in a difficult time. I saw that public art could be a way for me to get out of my solitary studio practice and maybe make a difference for people, as well as care for parts of my city that didn’t receive a lot of attention or money, and shifted my energy towards creating public art and educational programs for young people.