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Cancer Center Healing Art


Welcome to Cancer Center. When we began planning this facility in partnership with our patient advisors, one of our major goals was to create a peaceful, healing environment for the minds and spirits of our patients, their families and friends.


Part of that environment includes commissioned works of art from local and regional artists featuring flowers, plants and natural landscapes from our area. Some of the pieces you’ll see feature plants that are used for medicinal purposes.


We hope you’ll enjoy these works of art, and we hope they help make your experience here as calming and peaceful as possible.

A guide to the art and artists of the Cancer Center 

 

GRHealth Cancer Center Healing Art Virtual Gallery

  • Augusta native Luke Allsbrook holds an MFA in painting from the Graduate School of Figurative Art of the New York Academy of Art, and a BFA in painting from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. Mr. Allsbrook was the official tour artist for HRH The Prince of Wales’ United States tour in 2005, was artist in residence at the Balsam Mountain Preserve in North Carolina, and was the recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant in 2002. His work has been exhibited across the United States and is housed in many collections, including The Prince of Wales’ private collection, the U.S. Department of State, the Forbes Collection, and the North Carolina Arboretum. Mr. Allsbrook’s painting “Shadowlands” is a commissioned oil painting of the Savannah River. Augusta native Luke Allsbrook holds an MFA in painting from the Graduate School of Figurative Art of the New York Academy of Art, and a BFA in painting from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. Mr. Allsbrook was the official tour artist for HRH The Prince of Wales’ United States tour in 2005, was artist in residence at the Balsam Mountain Preserve in North Carolina, and was the recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant in 2002. His work has been exhibited across the United States and is housed in many collections, including The Prince of Wales’ private collection, the U.S. Department of State, the Forbes Collection, and the North Carolina Arboretum. Mr. Allsbrook’s painting “Shadowlands” is a commissioned oil painting of the Savannah River.
  • An accomplished musician, performer, and native of Augusta, Troy Campbell draws on his travels and his fondness for his hometown to create delicate floral paintings informed by the traditions of Eastern calligraphy and dense collages that incorporate scraps from popular culture and Mr. Campbell’s life. As both a musician and artist, Mr. Campbell cites Elvis and Matisse as significant influences on his work. “Coming to terms with our passions and interests, building on our memories, that’s all part of the human experience. That’s the question I’m interested in, how to make all of this into a unified whole.” An accomplished musician, performer, and native of Augusta, Troy Campbell draws on his travels and his fondness for his hometown to create delicate floral paintings informed by the traditions of Eastern calligraphy and dense collages that incorporate scraps from popular culture and Mr. Campbell’s life. As both a musician and artist, Mr. Campbell cites Elvis and Matisse as significant influences on his work. “Coming to terms with our passions and interests, building on our memories, that’s all part of the human experience. That’s the question I’m interested in, how to make all of this into a unified whole.”
  • Born in the state of Gujarat in India, Shishir Chokshi’s mother was a very talented painter and draftswoman. Mr. Chokshi’s primary education in art foundations and theory was provided by Augusta State University,but the finer aspects of his ceramic education were acquired from summer seminars at Alfred University, a world-renowned ceramics school in upstate New York. Mr. Chokshi is currently a studio potter and instructor in his family’s studio in downtown Augusta. He has participated in many group and solo art shows locally but has national ambitions. “I follow a simple mantra passed down to me from a former professor: ‘Don’t make your pots too smart, just make great pots.’ I try very hard every day to make great pots.” Born in the state of Gujarat in India, Shishir Chokshi’s mother was a very talented painter and draftswoman. Mr. Chokshi’s primary education in art foundations and theory was provided by Augusta State University,but the finer aspects of his ceramic education were acquired from summer seminars at Alfred University, a world-renowned ceramics school in upstate New York. Mr. Chokshi is currently a studio potter and instructor in his family’s studio in downtown Augusta. He has participated in many group and solo art shows locally but has national ambitions. “I follow a simple mantra passed down to me from a former professor: ‘Don’t make your pots too smart, just make great pots.’ I try very hard every day to make great pots.”
  • The visual arts have been of great interest to Cecilia Durst for as long as she can remember. Her love of art led her to pursue a college degree in that field, going to school at night while holding a day job. She moved to Augusta in 1990 and finished her art degree at Augusta State University. Cecilia’s interest in watercolor painting continues to grow, and she now paints in her own home studio from photographs she’s taken locally and on her travels. “My objective has not been to make a particular statement with my art, but rather to give enjoyment to those who observe what I have created.” The visual arts have been of great interest to Cecilia Durst for as long as she can remember. Her love of art led her to pursue a college degree in that field, going to school at night while holding a day job. She moved to Augusta in 1990 and finished her art degree at Augusta State University. Cecilia’s interest in watercolor painting continues to grow, and she now paints in her own home studio from photographs she’s taken locally and on her travels. “My objective has not been to make a particular statement with my art, but rather to give enjoyment to those who observe what I have created.”
  • Michael Fowler incorporates beautiful, vibrant colors into his abstracted landscapes, creating inspirational works of art based on his imagination and memories of South Carolina settings. An advertising design graduate of Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, Michael also holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing from the University of Nebraska and a Doctor of Education from the University of Memphis. His work has been exhibited across the Southeast and is housed in many corporate collections such as Aiken Aviation; Bryan Memorial Hospital in Lincoln, NE; First National Bank in Missouri; the James E. Rush Touring Exhibition in Iowa; and Sutter Health in California. He is holder of the Mary Durban Toole Chair of Art and teaches design and computer graphics as associate professor at the University of South Carolina–Aiken. Michael Fowler incorporates beautiful, vibrant colors into his abstracted landscapes, creating inspirational works of art based on his imagination and memories of South Carolina settings. An advertising design graduate of Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, Michael also holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing from the University of Nebraska and a Doctor of Education from the University of Memphis. His work has been exhibited across the Southeast and is housed in many corporate collections such as Aiken Aviation; Bryan Memorial Hospital in Lincoln, NE; First National Bank in Missouri; the James E. Rush Touring Exhibition in Iowa; and Sutter Health in California. He is holder of the Mary Durban Toole Chair of Art and teaches design and computer graphics as associate professor at the University of South Carolina–Aiken.
  • McGinnis Leathers lives in the present, leads from behind, and always knows where the North Star is. McGinnis has been around the world leading climbing expeditions, documenting a cloud forest preserve in Ecuador, guiding Boy Scouts down North American rivers, working in mission houses in Calcutta, and always carrying his camera. A University of Georgia graduate with a degree in anthropology, Mr. Leathers says, “In these works one can see the beginnings of my travels into each exotic blossom; and hopefully, the moment of enlightenment that all seasoned travelers experience when exploring a new place for the first time.” Each one of Mr. Leathers’ exotic flowers is named after a breast cancer survivor. McGinnis Leathers lives in the present, leads from behind, and always knows where the North Star is. McGinnis has been around the world leading climbing expeditions, documenting a cloud forest preserve in Ecuador, guiding Boy Scouts down North American rivers, working in mission houses in Calcutta, and always carrying his camera. A University of Georgia graduate with a degree in anthropology, Mr. Leathers says, “In these works one can see the beginnings of my travels into each exotic blossom; and hopefully, the moment of enlightenment that all seasoned travelers experience when exploring a new place for the first time.” Each one of Mr. Leathers’ exotic flowers is named after a breast cancer survivor.
  • Thomas Lyles’ artistic work with metals began in 1997 after many years of study and creative development. Today, as Studio Blue owner and director of Augusta Technical College Welding and Joining Technology program, Thomas creates commissioned and noncommissioned metal art works here in Augusta and throughout the Southeast. Thomas’ latest piece, the focal point of the atrium at MCGHealth Cancer Center, “Ribbons of Hope,” is especially significant due to his father’s difficult struggles with pancreatic cancer. Mr. Lyles has been recognized with honors and awards for his artistic talents and was Augusta Technical College’s 2004 Teacher of the Year. He has lectured at the University Federal de Goiania and Universidad Federal de Vicosa in Brazil, and was featured in a gallery exhibit at the Mary Hardin Cultural Arts Center in Alabama. Thomas Lyles’ artistic work with metals began in 1997 after many years of study and creative development. Today, as Studio Blue owner and director of Augusta Technical College Welding and Joining Technology program, Thomas creates commissioned and noncommissioned metal art works here in Augusta and throughout the Southeast. Thomas’ latest piece, the focal point of the atrium at MCGHealth Cancer Center, “Ribbons of Hope,” is especially significant due to his father’s difficult struggles with pancreatic cancer. Mr. Lyles has been recognized with honors and awards for his artistic talents and was Augusta Technical College’s 2004 Teacher of the Year. He has lectured at the University Federal de Goiania and Universidad Federal de Vicosa in Brazil, and was featured in a gallery exhibit at the Mary Hardin Cultural Arts Center in Alabama.
  • Honor Marks grew up in Charleston, SC and remembers slogging through the marshes of the lowcountry as a child searching for rare wildflowers with her family. Through the years she photographed hundreds of wildflowers all over the South. Ms. Marks’ first studio was with Charleston’s School of the Building Arts as their artist in residence and resulted in the “South Carolina on Canvas” exhibit in Charleston’s Old City Jail. She was awarded Best in Show at the 2005 Griffith Lowcountry Artist Award. Ms. Marks double majored in English and Fine Arts, receiving her BA with honors from the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. Her work appears in private and corporate collections across the country. The oil paintings commissioned in the Cancer Center are all wildflowers indigenous to this area with medicinal properties. Honor Marks grew up in Charleston, SC and remembers slogging through the marshes of the lowcountry as a child searching for rare wildflowers with her family. Through the years she photographed hundreds of wildflowers all over the South. Ms. Marks’ first studio was with Charleston’s School of the Building Arts as their artist in residence and resulted in the “South Carolina on Canvas” exhibit in Charleston’s Old City Jail. She was awarded Best in Show at the 2005 Griffith Lowcountry Artist Award. Ms. Marks double majored in English and Fine Arts, receiving her BA with honors from the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. Her work appears in private and corporate collections across the country. The oil paintings commissioned in the Cancer Center are all wildflowers indigenous to this area with medicinal properties.
  • An art major at Augusta College in the early 1970s, Lillie Morris turned her energies toward a degree in nursing, a rewarding career that she enjoyed for 30 years. But her passion for art persisted, and Ms. Morris continued to pursue an art degree, taking classes and workshops and studying with many respected artists. Although she began her artistic journey working primarily in watercolor, most recently she has been creating works in mixed media collage. “I’ve found this medium to be creatively liberating . . . I enjoy the freedom it allows.” An art major at Augusta College in the early 1970s, Lillie Morris turned her energies toward a degree in nursing, a rewarding career that she enjoyed for 30 years. But her passion for art persisted, and Ms. Morris continued to pursue an art degree, taking classes and workshops and studying with many respected artists. Although she began her artistic journey working primarily in watercolor, most recently she has been creating works in mixed media collage. “I’ve found this medium to be creatively liberating . . . I enjoy the freedom it allows.”
  • Lanny Webb has photographed the rural landscape of the southern United States for many years. A Georgia native, Mr. Webb holds a devout respect and reverence for the land, a love of the simple life and a confirmed necessity for time to reflect. His photographic landscapes are created from an attempt to rekindle within the viewer the importance of these sentiments. His most recent work focuses on the movement of natural or manmade forces. Lanny Webb is a full professor and past associate director of the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia. He is currently head of the graphic design program where he teaches photography, image editing and computer technology. Mr. Webb’s work has exhibited in over 100 national and international invitational and juried exhibitions. Lanny Webb has photographed the rural landscape of the southern United States for many years. A Georgia native, Mr. Webb holds a devout respect and reverence for the land, a love of the simple life and a confirmed necessity for time to reflect. His photographic landscapes are created from an attempt to rekindle within the viewer the importance of these sentiments. His most recent work focuses on the movement of natural or manmade forces. Lanny Webb is a full professor and past associate director of the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia. He is currently head of the graphic design program where he teaches photography, image editing and computer technology. Mr. Webb’s work has exhibited in over 100 national and international invitational and juried exhibitions.
  • Lou Ann Zimmerman explores new applications and techniques in a variety of media. Her work has been displayed in solo and group exhibitions throughout much of the United States and in Japan, and has garnered numerous awards. She has been the owner of the Zimmerman Gallery in Augusta, GA since 1996, and is a faculty member at the Gertrude Herbert Art Institute in Augusta, a Signature Member of the Whiskey Painters of America and the director of the board of Artists Row. Lou Ann Zimmerman explores new applications and techniques in a variety of media. Her work has been displayed in solo and group exhibitions throughout much of the United States and in Japan, and has garnered numerous awards. She has been the owner of the Zimmerman Gallery in Augusta, GA since 1996, and is a faculty member at the Gertrude Herbert Art Institute in Augusta, a Signature Member of the Whiskey Painters of America and the director of the board of Artists Row.

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