Art as cancer therapy - Joel Solkoff

I guess this all starts at the Morgan Museum and Library, Renzo Piano‘s 2006 major expansion, his first commissioned work in New York City.

This is a good time to refer you to: http://www.e-architect.co.uk/ published daily from Scotland by Adrian Welch and Isabelle Lomholt (who is a beauty). The site receives 960,000 hits a day–a lot more hits a day than I receive here at www.joelsolkoff.com.

The future of architecture as the “baby boom” generation retires was my first publication for the site on February 22nd. See http://www.e-architect.co.uk/articles/disability_access_design.htm.

I am currently a regular guest editor at e-architect specializing primarily in disability-related issues that should be of concern to today’s architects.

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This story begins in April of this year, one week after I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. It was then that I discovered the intensely therapeutic effect of art to one undergoing cancer treatment.

My description of this discovery Adrian Welch published this May. See link: http://www.e-architect.co.uk/articles/morgan_library_museum_access.htm

Since then my obsession continues with the dazzlingly new Renzo Piano extension of the Morgan incorporating the McKim Meade and White Beaux Art library/palace completed in 1906–one hundred years after Piano’s extension completion.

My astonishingly long appreciation of Piano’s Morgan appeared this month on e-architect at the following link: http://www.e-architect.co.uk/articles/j_p_morgan_library_museum_building.htm

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The article concludes:

“Personal note: I will be returning to New York on August 8 for an operation at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. I have good feelings about the outcome. My skilled surgeon will remove the tumor surrounding my right kidney while saving the kidney. The outcome is likely to be that kidney cancer will not kill me.

“I live in State College, PA. Since I am a paraplegic, it is especially difficult for me to travel the 250 miles to New York City, but very easy for me to get around the City. After the operation, I will remain in New York for two weeks to recover. While in New York, I will be posting for e-architect from the Atrium of Piano’s Morgan.

“August will be my third trip to New York since I was diagnosed with cancer in April. During this time, I have visited the Morgan four times. Each time, I felt the Morgan was a refuge and a blessing including the blessing of being contained in an environment designed by Renzo Piano.”

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The obsession with the Morgan and Renzo Piano continues.

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Joel Solkoff

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