Dr. Richard Bay to Speak on Art as a Healing Process

Radford University art professor Dr. Richard Bay will be speaking about art as a healing process Thursday, October 25^th, on the Virginia campus for The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“The woman who called me said that I was recommended by someone in Roanoke who knew my work, medical history, and thought I would be a great resource for the show. After talking, they invited me to come up and present,” Bay said.

Dr. Bay will speak about the importance of art on his own healing process. Bay has had over 45 surgeries and procedures performed throughout his lifetime, and has used his art to help him through this long journey.

“It is a point of reflection, a way to visualize pain, and to deal with it constructively,” Bay said. “It also is a way to look at the process both of healing and the actual procedures that I have undergone. I guess in a strange way I put it out there so others have permission to tell their stories and find a way to deal with their personal physical, mental and emotional battles.”

Another positive that Bay thinks art offers is the personal connection that he feels medicine lacks.

“You see, I feel the doctor, nurse, and practitioners need to see the patient as a being that is putting their trust in them...the fact that a doctor, nurse, etc., can relate at that level kind of evens the playing field. I am a person, I have fears and questions. Help me understand and this will help me heal much quicker…Most doctors are detached from their patients; what we need is a greater sense of humanity in their profession.”

Even though Dr. Bay has used art as a healing process, he is still a firm believer in medicine and not substituting art as a form of treatment.

“Art is a personal experience and all it does is help visualize a story. Oh it has a life of its own, but I would never say art, in itself, is medicine or the root of the healing process. It is a way to communicate fears, apprehension, gratitude, and to show others that the experience is universal and perhaps by seeing my work they have a greater sense of courage, or at least a way to consider dealing with the events of their lives,” Bay said.

The lecture begins at 5:30 p.m. and will run until 6:30 p.m. on the Virginia campus in classroom 2. Refreshments will be served at 5 p.m. For more information on the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, visit their website.