ABSTRACT
An artist’s self-image is always vulnerable when their work is in front of the public, but artists are generally proud and optimistic about their chance to communicate with a wider audience. This chapter presents an interpretive approach to take when viewing art by cancer patients and offer suggestions for creating opportunities for public dialogue about cancer during the course of an exhibition. The contemporary idea of art as a healing process was firmly established by artist Joseph Bueys after World War II. Art created explicitly as a healing process has been an important branch of contemporary art practice since the 1940s, and for many artists diagnosed with cancer, their art production has been both personal and political. Art educators have attempted to answer the question of what makes a good interpretation. One theory is that good interpretations provide answers to the questions that an individual poses in response to the artwork.
