it's not art school

One of the curricular elements here involves students visiting a family with a chronic illness several times over the course of two years. We then form small groups and create an interpretive multi-media project expressing common themes in chronic illness (as well as writing a series of reflective essays). While the visits are enjoyable and certainly lead to reflection on what it must be like to live with a chronic health issue, this is medical school not art school. During the most difficult sequence of the M1 year I am expected to come up with an interpretive art project?!

My two partners and I have decided to create artwork using the board game Life. We are going to remake the game board and glue it and other related game pieces to a giant posterboard. It's supposed to represent that illness is not really in one's control and that it affects all facets of life on a longitudinal scale. Or something like that.

When we proposed the idea to our class there was a certain amount of horror: you are going to make a game out of chronic illness? Crap. We hadn't really thought that through.

The best projects are then chosen to be displayed at a reception that all the families (and medical students) attend. I'll put up $20 that our remake of Life is not chosen.