The PhotoMidwest Spring 2025 Member Show officially kicked off March 1. Rather than occupying a typical gallery or museum space, the member showcase exists in the surgical wing and waiting room of UW Health University Hospital.
The gallery, set to remain at UW Health until March 30, is comprised of over 80 photographs from 72 different members of PhotoMidwest. The exhibit will be open for patients, as well as their family, friends and doctors to enjoy during their time at the hospital.
Submissions were open to all members of PhotoMidwest, a nonprofit photography organization based in Madison. The organization was first established in 1998 and continues to provide free lectures, workshops, exhibit spaces and photography resources for its members, according to its website. The gallery had no entrance fee or juror process, meaning that members of any skill level or specialty could submit their photos without needing approval from PhotoMidwest leadership.
Amanda Kron, art project manager at UW Health, is continually impressed with the high standards and creativity of the photography PhotoMidwest brings to her hospital.
“This group is so unique in our area,” Kron said. “It’s always very high-quality work and it’s interesting to see the different techniques that each photographer has used.”
Kron served as the main facilitator between the contributors at PhotoMidwest and the gallery’s installation, though the Spring 2025 Showcase is just one of many collaborations with PhotoMidwest, according to Kron. Every month, Kron and the art staff work to bring art to all spaces of UW Health. Still, PhotoMidwest remains the single partnership the hospital has with a photography organization.
Robin Downs, president of PhotoMidwest, worked with Kron to place the photographs in areas of the hospital where distraction and comfort are most needed. The surgical wing is often one of the most stressful and somber places in the hospital, making it the perfect place for the showcase’s photography, Downs said.
“A lot of people are waiting in this big space in the surgical room just waiting to hear how the surgery came out for their loved one,” Downs said. “Having something else to place their attention on is good.”
Spring 2025 Showcase contributor Linda Deith was able to see this positive effect when she volunteered to help set up the exhibition. In recent years, Deith has become more involved in PhotoMidwest, joining the nature interest group. She’s been able to learn and collaborate with others by attending weekly meetings with the group.
For the showcase, Deith submitted two nature shots, one featuring a snowy owl and the other an indigo bunting. While working to hang the dozens of framed photographs for the Spring 2025 Member Show, Deith noticed that hospital visitors took an interest in the art.
“I would have had no inkling of how much patients and families appreciated the diversion if I hadn’t spent so much time there hanging the pieces,” Deith said. “An unexpected bonus.”
Diversion is one of the goals of Kron and her team at UW Health. Images not only help conjure positive emotions, but can also serve as a visually appealing distraction in a building where aesthetics are often left unconsidered.
Downs saw the effect the photographs at the Midwest Spring Member Show can have firsthand. During the 2024 exhibit, a patient’s mother locked eyes with the photograph Downs had submitted. The image depicted two small grizzly bear cubs embracing, a scene that Downs had captured while visiting Alaska.
The mother, who was waiting for her son to come out of surgery after an accident, stared at the photograph during her time in the waiting room, according to Downs. After her son made a full recovery, she decided to purchase the image from Downs as a way of remembering the photographs’ role in comforting her during a difficult time.
“She just found great comfort in looking at this photo of mine, so she decided she wanted to buy it when her son was discharged,” Downs said. “She got comfort in it as she went through this tough period, and that’s what we hope is happening.”
Beyond comforting patients and loved ones at UW Health, the gallery offers experience for photographers to participate in an exhibition and sell their work. Downs estimates that 10 to 15 of the works are sold to hospital visitors during each collaboration with the hospital.
The works themselves span many genres. While many focus on nature, others are portraits or more abstract works. Currently, Deith is honing her skills in macro photography — a type of photography in which small organisms are hyper magnified — for the next open show. Downs’ only requirement is that the photographs add to the welcoming environment the gallery hopes to cultivate.
PhotoMidwest intends to hold another members’ show in the Fall, offering members another chance to showcase their works in a gallery. Those interested in reviewing the gallery’s photographs can find the complete show on the PhotoMidwest website.
Additionally, one can learn more about the rotating galleries and support UW Health’s efforts to bring art to patients and visitors on the UW Health website.
“The goal of arts in health care is to make the environment more pleasant for people, whether they’re stressed out, lost a loved one or got a bad diagnosis,” Kron said. “Art is one way to give people a little bit of respite.”
Patients and photography enthusiasts alike can visit the Spring 2025 Members Gallery at UW Health University Hospital until March 30.
