Back in 2018 (let’s say there abouts) a medical discovery was made about a new organ, the interstitium.  You may or may not  have heard of it by now.  In layman's terms, the interstitium is a fluid-filled “highway”, a space between all our tissues that interconnects every part of our body. The discovery opened completely new ways of thinking; for instance about how our organs are protected during daily activities, or how breast cancer can suddenly metastasize to a far reaching extremity like the knee. 

To make a slight correction to the information above, the interstitium was discovered in 2018 in Western medicine.  Traditional Chinese Medicine has been harnessing the knowledge and effects of the Interstitum since something like 1027 through practices like acupuncture.  Western medicine arrived late at the interstitium party because of how we look at slides under the microscope. With this practice of looking at a part in detail, the interstitium, being a fluid filled canal, collapses on a microscopic slide, rendering it essentially invisible.  With the use of a scope, in real time, looking at the interstitium is seen easily, once you know to look for it. 

Where do we draw the lines between what is art, and what is a medical image, what is an icon, or propaganda, or marketing? Why do we create these categories?  In what ways can a particular genre of imagery, methodology of inquiry, or context of presentation help us see differently or recognize something previously unknown to us?  With countless ancient and modern approaches to caring for the body, how can an artist's interpretation of the medical field(s) help us explore, cope, discover, and heal, in new ways that can impact our holistic wellbeing?

11 artists, using painting, clay, glitter, ink, lace, photos, and even brains, illuminate stories of the body, the many things it can do, the joys and sorrows of its limitations, and how we learn to care for it with love.

Interstitum opens to the public for regular viewing Tuesday, September 16, 2025 through March 22, 2026. Our gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday 11am-5pm. The Dovetail for Interstitium will happen Tuesday, September 30th, from 6-8pm.

Interstitium is curated by Sarah Bernhardt and features work by:

• Wayne Adams

• Susan Aldworth

• Madeline Brenner

• Marcella Hackbrandt

• Grant Harris

• Joseph Heathcott

• Leslie Holt

• Megan Kenyon

• Dylan Mortimer

• Emily Taylor Rice

• Sara Simonson