UAB Briefs: All that jazz, in the labyrinth, healing with art
Welcome to another installment of UAB Briefs, in which we keep track of interesting people and events on campus.
Know people, places and programs on the UAB campus that deserve a mention? Email Iron City Ink at sydney@starnespublishing.com and jchambers@starnespublishing.com
And of course, have a happy holiday and a great New Year.
A jazzy new year
If you love jazz, the month of January will be a great time to visit the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, where two of the greatest living players in the genre will be giving concerts.
Cyrus Chestnut – Time magazine called him “the best jazz pianist of his generation” – will perform Thursday, Jan. 12, with the Grammy award-winning Turtle Island Quartet. The concert is part of the ASC Salon Series, which features on-stage seating and a post-performance meet-and-greet.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by legendary trumpet player Wynton Marsalis, will perform at the Alys on Wednesday, Jan. 18.
Both shows begin at 7 p.m.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra features 15 of the best soloists, ensemble players and arrangers in jazz and plays the works of such legends as Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, as well as original compositions by Wynton Marsalis, Ted Nash and other orchestra members.
The Turtle Island Quartet is equally proficient as a jazz quartet and as a contemporary chamber group and will draw on Chestnut’s talents in presenting its new program, “Jelly, Rags and Monk.”
For all the details, including tickets, call 975-2787 or go to www.alysstephens.org.
Into the labyrinth
The labyrinth is an ancient symbol found in cultures around the world, according to veriditas.org. A person walks the intricate pattern of the labyrinth to its center and then walks back out. The website refers to it as a “walking meditation” or a “path of prayer.”
And now, The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital has created its own labyrinth to promote wellness and healing for patients, according to a UAB news release.
The UAB labyrinth – able to be navigated on foot or in a wheelchair – is painted on the floor of the Holmes Pavilion, adjacent to the second-floor walkway at the Spain Rehabilitation Center.
“It is a concept that has been gaining in popularity in health care settings,” said Cathy Newhouse, director of Rehabilitation Services at UAB. “A labyrinth helps a person focus spiritually and emotionally. Research has shown that walking a labyrinth can promote healing and enhance wellness.”
The UAB labyrinth measures 32 square feet, uses a traditional design and is painted in the colors of the Hindu Chakra.
The labyrinth is open for use by staff, family members and other visitors.
“It will be available to anyone at any time,” Newhouse said. “People can use the labyrinth to take a moment to pause and reflect as they are rushing back and forth during their day, heading home after a bad day, or gearing up to face a new one.”
Another way to heal with art
Another innovative UAB program is seeking to use art for therapeutic purposes.
Cancer patients, survivors and caregivers will soon have the chance to create their own works of art – and perhaps gain greater peace and contentment – in the Artful Journeys program at the new Patient and Family Resource Center at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Local art therapist Amy Brown created the six-week integrative program for those affected by cancer.
Guided therapy sessions are designed to help patients and others touched by cancer to use contemplation and creativity to push out the “noise” of physical and emotional stress of the disease.
The resulting artwork will be displayed in the Patient and Family Resource Center.
No supplies are needed, and the event is free to the public. Classes will be held Dawson Family of Faith Church, 1114 Oxmoor Road, on Thursday evenings, Jan. 12 through Feb. 9, from 6-8 p.m.
For more information, contact Teri Hoenemeyer at 934-5772 or tgw318@uab.edu.
Leading the Campaign
UAB has tapped Thomas Brannan as vice president for Development and Alumni Affairs effective Jan. 1 following a national search, according to a news release.
Brannan served as interim vice president in the role throughout the search.
He joined UAB in 2007 as the director of Development, Strategic Planning and Community Relations in the Department of Neurology. In 2010, he became executive director for Development and Strategic Planning in the School of Medicine.
He was named associate vice president for Development in 2012 after an interim year in that position.
As vice president, Brannan will provide executive leadership and administration of all philanthropic development and alumni-related programs for UAB and the UAB Health System.
He will continue to lead the ongoing Campaign for UAB, a $1 billion fundraising initiative.