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Notes from Galveston 2014: Jac Saorsa, Visiting Scholar at the University of Texas Centre for Medical Humanities

posted on February 23, 2025

Research Summary: Drawing Women's Cancer Project

Project Type: Artistic humanities research on cancer patient narratives
Primary Focus: Subjective experiences and narratives of women cancer patients through drawing and documentation
Institution: University of Texas Centre for Medical Humanities, Galveston
Key Methodology: Patient interviews, theatrical exploration, and subjective narrative development informed by personal notes and background research
Scholarly Approach: Patient voices and subjectivity centered as the heart of the research; combines arts-based inquiry with medical humanities framework
Current Phase: Focus on subjective narratives and synthesis of extensive background research and field notes; exploration ongoing
Public Engagement: Exhibition in Cardiff with accompanying talks; blog documentation at drawingcancer.wordpress.com

Back in Galveston! Invited again by the wonderful folk at the University of Texas Centre for Medical Humanities to spend another month working here on the Drawing Women’s Cancer project (drawingcancer.wordpress.com), I am delighted to be back on the island and full of plans for how to use the month.
It feels good to be able to take a step back after the excitement of the last exhibition in Cardiff. It ended only as I left and it was very successful I feel in terms of the impact it seemed to make on those who visited it or saw the blog posts. The evening of the talk to accompany the show was very moving as many of the women patients I have been talking with were able to attend, and what they had to say was far more profound than anything I had prepared. They are the heart of the project.

In Theatre
Subjectivity now is the key….last time I was here I did a mountain of background research and this has given me the resources, along with the equally high mountain of personal notes I have made throughout the project to write and focus on this area. Having attended theatre over the past few weeks, I am exploring subjective narratives based on these experiences, so, more to come!

 

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