March 2, 2021
By Christina VerHeul, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
For some, becoming a standardized patient for the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine began as a way to make some extra cash, for others it was a mission borne of their own experiences in the medical field. No matter the reason, the college’s standardized patients are passionate about one thing: educating the next generation of doctors for Washington.
Launched in 2018 as part of the Virtual Clinical Center, the WSU College of Medicine’s standardized patient program trains individuals from across Washington – primarily in clinical campus locations in Everett, Spokane, Tri-Cities and Vancouver – to portray a patient, simulate a real patient scenario, and then provide valuable feedback to the student about the experience. The program began with 10 standardized patients and has since grown to 50, providing more than 1,500 individual student encounters this academic year alone.
Marty Fugate, Correspondent
“Storytellers: Faith Ringgold + Aminah Robinson” showcases the work of two game-changing African-American artists at Ringling College. Ringgold is a painter, a sculptor, a quilt-maker, and an award-winning children’s author and illustrator. Robinson’s art includes drawings, cloth paintings, books and woodcuts. Curators Tim Jaeger and Mikaela Lamarche reflect Robinson and Ringgold’s multimedia approach by framing their art in a narrative context.
It’s not an arbitrary theme. Robinson and Ringgold are up front. They speak to you directly, often blending image and text. Their art is never cryptic. Both artists want you to understand the meaning of their work and will spell it out, if need be. Storytelling is intrinsic to their art. And they’ve got plenty of stories to tell.
Marty Fugate, Correspondent
The pandemic has thrown out the rules for the art game. Individual artists can respond quickly – but how have arts institutions adapted? Changing course for a major museum or college is a lot like putting a battleship on a new heading. It’s not so easy, to put it mildly. But following our previous look at how visual artists are adapting, here is how how three area arts leaders have responded to this time of crisis.
Steven High: Reinvent the wheel
The Ringling comprises several museums, including the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, The Ringling Circus Museum and Tibbals Learning Center. According to Executive Director Steven High, these venues host around 20 major exhibitions and draw about 400,000 visitors in a typical year. But last year was far from typical.