Joan Beirnes
Melody Crick
Ida Donovan
Sandra Greenough
Linda Hebert
Karen Herriot
Lenore Huber
Bev Illauq
Theresa Lambert
RJ Leng
R. A. M.
Susan Neden
Karen Nye
Myrna Tallon
Carol Walburn
Patrick Watson
J. W.

“I went through breast cancer diagnosis, surgery and treatment a few years ago. While I received excellent medical care, it was very fragmenting, like the ground had been ripped out from under me. When I was diagnosed I was having trouble taking in all the information. A social worker was called in. She said, ‘Karen, come for a walk.’ We stood at a balcony overlooking a studio — watching people engaged in art. Bonnie looked up and said, ‘How are you today? You’re welcome to come and paint with us.’ I found out when the sessions were and signed up. Regardless of what was happening with surgeries, chemo or radiation I showed up. The cancer affected more than just my physical body . . . it destroyed my spirit.
It was the time in Bonnie Chapman’s studio at the Pasqua hospital that I truly healed. The studio is viewable from the hospital lobby; so many people lean on the railing and watch the artists. Smiling, they ask what we are doing and sometimes join us. Bonnie Chapman is invited to give lectures and consults across North America about her program for hospitals and cancer clinics. The benefits of the program are obvious. I didn’t have to go on medication for anxiety or depression. I found my voice to navigate the system through the art-making so I think I healed faster. The art studio makes valuable connections with people and widens the embrace of the hospital's capacity to heal.”

Karen Herriot