Healing: Portraits of the Pandemic

Albany Center Gallery presents in-house pop-up exhibit Healing: Portraits of the Pandemic.

From June 23 to July 18, 2020 Albany Center Gallery (ACG) will be exhibiting Healing: Portraits of the Pandemic, which will feature portraits by Steve Derrick of nurses and doctors who have been working strenuously in the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19 and aid patients with the virus. 

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the United States, society has drastically changed. From nationwide lockdowns and quarantining to social distancing measures and the new ubiquity of face masks, the country has faced a massive transformation of “normal” life. To confront the crisis of the global pandemic, hospitals became overwhelmed with cases of the mysterious illness, and doctors and nurses became the faces of the pandemic. In Healing: Portraits of the Pandemic, Derrick typically depicts these brave healthcare workers fully donned in their personal protective equipment (PPE), or bearing the marks from N95 masks and goggles after long shifts caring for patients.

Derrick is a video game developer based in Clifton Park. He works at Vicarious Visions, where he started 21 years ago as a texture artist and is currently director of organizational development. He received his degrees from the University of Utah in Painting and Drawing and from the Art Institute of Phoenix in Computer Animation. Since the beginning of the quarantine, Derrick has been using his time to return to traditional forms of art practice and to keep up his skills by painting portraits. This current body of work is the artist’s way of giving thanks to the healthcare workers who have put their lives at risk to continue saving lives during this pandemic.

Originally inspired by Time magazine’s person of the year, Derrick’s first portrait, which he sent back to the nurse depicted, came solely from a place of gratitude. Since then, Derrick has created over 70 portraits of doctors and nurses in PPE or with the marks of wearing protective gear continues to create more. Sometimes his portraits show just the eyes above the mask, clearly painting the fatigue and stress of these essential workers.

ACG recognizes the hard work, strength and bravery of all hospital workers, clinical, custodial, and clerical alike, as well as the essential workers who have continued to provide all of us with food and other necessities during this time, and would like to extend our sincerest thanks and gratitude. Healing: Portraits of the Pandemic will be on view at ACG from June 23 to July 18, 2020. We ask that all visitors wear a mask and maintain six feet of distance from other visitors and gallery staff members. ACG is committed to taking all possible precautions to continue the flattening of the curve of the virus, as well as the safety and health of our staff and community.

The show is sponsored by Albany Med, as well as Premier Sponsors Howard Hanna & David Phaff, with additional support from Joe Bonilla, ParkAlbany, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Albany Wine & Dine for the Arts Festival.

Visit our online 360 Tour Here.

View close up photos Here.

Facebook event page link.

Steve Derrick's Instagram page.

CBS News On the Road with Steve Hartman story Here.

Washington Post article about Steve Derrick Here.

For more information, please contact Tony at director@albanycentergallery.org