Hear from the Program Staff
Elizabeth:
I saw a need…. To reach out into the community that otherwise doesn’t have access to the arts. I’ve also heard from artists who are curious about new avenues with their careers and are looking for a renewed source of energy in their artistic endeavors. For myself, it’s facing challenges both personally and professionally in a situation (arts in health care) that has limited exploration or exposure in our field.
The health care setting is a natural community to foster the arts. There is a rhythm in everything. Our heartbeat, the clocks on the wall, the artificial machines in a hospital that provide a life support to those in need. The arts are ingrained in my soul and I know the power they have to bring a peace to the mind and body. It’s a responsibility that I feel others should have the opportunity to experience.
My favorite part of these activities is watching the transformation in artists… They humbly change from a “performer” to a “person” and their goal is no longer a technically perfect performance, but rather to reach out to others to bring a smile to their face, simply by being a person who cares. That is more impressive than any sonata, backflip, pirouette or monologue I’ve ever seen or heard.
Elizabeth Auer
UF Performing Arts
315 Hull Road
PO Box 112750
Gainesville, FL 32611-2750
352-273-2470
eauer@performingarts.ufl.edu
Jill:
For me, AIM Together is about transformation and renewal. It happens in the patients, the staff, the artists, and the hospital itself; and it never ceases to truly amaze me. When high level touring artists bring their artistry into an intimate hospital setting, they totally transform it. The place feels different and the people in it feel different. The joyful energy that is generated and the personal connections that happen across the music and the movement are profound and give hope to everyone involved. Patients dealing with stress, worry, and pain are reminded on a very visceral and emotional level of how good life can be. Artists dealing with the stress and demands of touring are reminded of why human beings need art. It is a deeply enriching experience for everyone involved.
No matter how often we do AIM Together events, each one is different and each one inspires me and renews my belief in how essential the arts are to our health and happiness.
Jill Sonke-Henderson
Shands Arts in Medicine
PO Box 100326
Gainesville, FL 32610-0326
352-265-0656
jsonke@ufl.edu