Voices in Humanism

Brian Fowler
OSU College of Medicine Class of 2022
The Rose That Grew From Concrete
Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature’s law is wrong it
learned to walk without having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose the grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.

Artists: Phillip Anjum (photographer) and Elizabeth Auckley (painter)
Medium: Oil paint on printed canvas
Artist Statement: We are current medical students at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. For our Portrait Project, each student was first photographed ‘in their element’; in a space where they felt comfortable. The photos were then completely de-saturated and then printed on canvas to represent the depersonalization that medical school experience may instill as well as the constant disorientation that comes with embracing a completely new and uncertain world. The colors painted back onto the canvas represent the uniqueness of each individual that shines through the showcase of the human faces of future physicians who will be caring for patients across the country and the world.