Seven years ago, the staff at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts set their sights on engaging the community through the connection between art and wellness.
“The arts play an important role in the collective wellness of the community,” said Jairo Ontiveros, vice president and Dorothea Green Chair of Education and Community Engagement at the Arsht.
Akiva Gross, an Arsht Center board member, encouraged Ontiveros to explore Twist Out Cancer, a Chicago organization founded by cancer survivor Jenna Benn Shersher.
(Gregory Reed)
Brushes with Cancer artist Caryn Frishman with cancer survivor Ashley Smith, posing with Caryn's painting inspired by Ashley
Twist Out Cancer’s program, Brushes with Cancer, pairs artists with individuals living with a cancer diagnosis, referred to as “inspirations,” to hear their stories and then create artwork inspired by that relationship. Ontiveros called it “the ultimate way of connecting people to each other and the arts.”
"I was deeply moved by the individual connection with the visual art form and further realized this perfectly aligned with our Arsht Center mission of connecting people to each other," Ontiveros said.
Eighteen artists and their inspirations were chosen to participate in the inaugural Brushes with Cancer at the Arsht, the first of its kind in Florida. The result is an 18-piece exhibition of the six-month journey between the artists and their inspirations. Curated by Rosie Gordon-Wallace, founder of Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator, the artists’ creations will be unveiled Sept. 12. at the Arsht.
Shersher knows the Gross family well since Akiva and his wife were artists with Twist Out Cancer.
“Akiva’s wheels were turning so he had a conversation with Jairo, and it just clicked and worked,” Shersher said.
Shersher founded Twist Out Cancer after her own diagnosis of gray zone lymphoma, a rare blood cancer, in 2010 at age 29.
Jenna Benn Shersher, Twist Out Cancer Founder
She began documenting her experience for family and friends, but it morphed beyond her own story. “The more I shared my experiences, people began opening up to me, being honest and raw, and it became a beautiful exchange,” she said. “They were writing from all over, far and wide, connecting with the rawness of my words.”
As a former dancer, Shersher’s weight loss due to cancer took a toll on her. She only had strength to stand up and move her hips, so she created a YouTube video of herself doing the twist.
“I asked people to twist with me and within days, thousands of people joined in,” Shersher said. “It was transformative and immensely powerful.”
Around this time, Shersher met artist Anna Moschner through her oncologist. Moschner was also diagnosed with gray zone lymphoma,
“Anna started a support group of people painting colorful works of art and that was the inspiration behind Brushes with Cancer,” said Shersher. “Anna is still creating art for a living, is married with kids, and thriving.”
Two of the Miami duos in the Arsht’s Brushes with Cancer program are artist Caryn Frishman, who was paired with Quayside resident Ashley Smith, and artist Rosa Henriquez, a North Miami Beach resident who was paired with Morgen Chesonis-Gonzalez.
(Gregory Reed)
Morgen Chesonis-Gonzalez
Frishman, an artist and cancer survivor, is a four-year veteran with Brushes with Cancer who has also expressed an interest in becoming a Twist Out Cancer board member.
“I was nominated by a friend from Miami in 2018 and get excited at the prospect of being chosen every year,” said Frishman. “Yes, there are support groups and healing courses, but nothing that matches an artist with someone on a cancer journey.”
Smith, who moved to Miami last year, found Brushes with Cancer while scrolling the Arsht Center website.
“I love writing and considered telling my story about surviving melanoma twice, and was thrilled at being chosen,” said Smith. “Being paired up with Caryn, who is so nurturing and such an expert, made the journey that much better.”
The two women became close friends during their time together, so Frishman was honored to tell Smith’s story. “It’s about the bond that we can share together,” said Frishman.
Henriquez and her inspiration, Chesonis-Gonzalez, share a similar bond.
“During our time together, we found we have much in common and have now become very good friends,” said Henriquez. “We both love to cook, garden, and are both artists,”
Chesonis-Gonzalez first learned about the program through the local Miami cancer support group, 305 Pink Pack.
“Participating as an ‘inspiration’ for the Arsht Center’s Brushes with Cancer program was an incredibly cathartic experience,” said Chesonis-Gonzalez. “Having an artist create a symbolic interpretation of my breast cancer journey was both humbling and deeply validating.”
Chesonis-Gonzalez said Henriquez’s artwork, “embodied the fierce strength, determination, and resilience I needed to endure cancer treatment under the harsh restrictions of early COVID protocols. I found true healing and connection in the painting she created and, through it, a meaningful friendship blossomed with Rosa.”
The experience was equally touching for Henriquez, who sees Chesonis-Gonzalez as an amazing woman, a wife, mother, professional, as well as an artist like herself.
“Listening to Morgen describe her journey, and how she saw herself as a Viking warrior, inspired me to create the art that represents a powerful woman ready for this new chapter of her life.”