Posted on: February 7, 2022
Artist Shannon Holms' paintings of frontline health workers will be on display next week at Victoria's Gage Gallery.
Courage and Compassion: B.C. Healthcare Heroes will showcase 20 portraits and 20 stories of B.C. healthcare workers – including 10 from Victoria – at the Gage Gallery for one week only: February 15 – 20. The Gage Gallery, located at 19 Bastion Square, can be visited from Tuesday to Saturday 11 am to 5 pm and on Sunday 12 noon to 4 pm.
Please note: due to COVID restrictions, there will not be an opening night event February 17th as earlier planned.
Working together with the artist Shannon Holms and Island Health's Communications team, employees were contacted to provide a photo while working on the job, in exchange for a FREE image and a story about their experiences on the frontlines during the first wave of COVID 19. The concept behind the project is to celebrate and honour the sacrifices that healthcare workers are making during the COVID 19 pandemic.
"We used to clap for our healthcare workers," Shannon told The Weekly. "I'm painting for them.
"It was an honour and a privilege to paint the portraits of Island Health employees. They are caring for us, our friends and our families. And as the second year of COVID grinds on, we need to let them know how much we all appreciate what they are doing for us. I really appreciated them taking time out of their extremely busy days to send photos to me by email, and take the time to allow me to interview them. Thank you, Island Health!
“As I painted these portraits, one of the nurses working as part of the Abbotsford Hospital COVID response team was on life support after being infected by the virus. The staff told me to keep painting their portraits because the images buoyed their spirits and gave them hope, as they rallied around their co-worker.
“Some of the healthcare workers from Island Health and Fraser Health cried when they saw their portraits for the first time. They told me that someone was really listening to their challenges and understood their plight.
“In some of the heart-wrenching interviews, I cried along with those healthcare workers. And some were really funny, so we laughed a lot together. And some of them, who I had never met before this interview, have become friends. Talk about connecting community through art!"
Shannon Holms worked for 30 years as a Director and Executive Director for the B.C. government. Her last job was with the Ministry of Health as the Director of Patient and Community Engagement. In addition to painting and writing, she has won awards for her work in communications and engagement: The Silver and Bronze Quill Awards from the International Association of Business Communicators and the Canadian Award for engagement from the International Association of Public Participation. Her paintings are held in private collections in Canada, the United States and Japan.
See the CHEK News Upside.
Click here to see her story in the Victoria Times Colonist.
