Heather Tauschek displays her painting "Porcupine Island" at the Irving S. Wright Center on Aging.
"Painting, drawing, and playing the piano and flute are my articulation of the sensory experiences that make us human," says Heather Tauschek, Class of 2004. "[They express] my moments of contemplating the world I inhabit." Tauschek, winner of the 2003 David Clayson Prize for Creativity, exhibited her artwork at the Irving Sherwood Wright Center on Aging on April 15 and 29.
"West Side Highway" by Tauschek
An accomplished artist, Tauschek has had her work published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and has displayed in the past three Medical Complex Art Shows. One of her watercolor paintings was also used as the 2002 Medical College holiday card.
Working with mostly watercolor and graphite, Tauschek's artwork commonly features depictions of flowers, mountains, skies and other scenes of nature—reflecting the artist's upbringing in Anchorage, Alaska. During her undergraduate years as a biochemistry major at Seattle Pacific University, she minored in fine art and completed an honors thesis of creative essays that explored the relationship between science and art.
"Winter Walk" by Tauschek, featured on the cover of the January 7, 2004 issue of Student JAMA.
Tauschek, who graduates this May, will spend her first postgraduate year as part of the University of Hawaii Internal Medicine Residency program, followed by four years of radiology residency at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University in St. Louis. Despite the anticipated hectic work hours as a hospital resident, Tauschek will continue with her music and art. "They are simply part of what it means to be human and to 'be me' in this world."
The Wright Center will continue to display Tauschek's 17 art pieces through May 28.
The David Clayson Prize for Creativity was established in 2001, named after the beloved faculty member who recognized the importance of the arts and humanities in preparing medical students for their future roles as caregivers and physicians. Dr. Clayson was professor emeritus of clinical psychology in psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, and consulting psychologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Hospital for Special Surgery. The award is given to students completing their third year. Recipients display their work during their fourth year.
Photo by Amelia Panico; prints courtesy of Heather Tauschek.