Opening Reception

THANKS to everyone who came to the opening reception of

“The Curse of the Blessing”
a group show by artists with Hyperemesis Gravidarum
(a condition That is more severe than morning sickness

which increases risk for pregnancy complications).

For those of you who were not able to attend, the exhibit is open until

November 29th. 

We do have a complete list events associated with the show on the current page of our website: https://www.dnjgallery.net/current.html

Pamela Schoenberg, owner/director of dnj Gallery, and Ted Meyer, founder of ‘ArtandMed,’ are pleased to announce their exhibition “The Curse of the Blessing”: a group show by artists with Hyperemesis Gravidarum. This art exhibit is part of the ‘Art and Med’ program at dnj Gallery, which is aimed at enhancing education, spreading awareness, and raising funds for chronic health conditions.

The ‘ArtandMed’ curriculum, created by Ted Meyer, emphasizes the voice of the artist- patient. It explains the necessity for the telling of the lived experience in the making of the object. ‘ArtandMed’ is thus widely used in medical schools to further healthcare knowledge. dnj Gallery has assembled a program consisting of an art exhibition and corresponding events to express this distinct perspective. This program highlights a joint participation with artist-patients with chronic illnesses, and, as a result, dnj Gallery’s ‘Art and Med’ also reveals a commitment to utilizing art as a tool to support these individuals.

Our next program deals with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, which is more severe than morning sickness which increases risk for pregnancy complications. HG is extreme and persistent, and the nausea and vomiting can lead to hospitalization and require the use of intravenous fluids. The symptoms result in dehydration, weight loss, and dizziness. HG increases the risk of other pregnancy illnesses (i.e., Pre-eclampsia, Post-partum Depression, Gestational Diabetes and Pre-term birth).

“The Curse of the Blessing” includes a collaboration with the HER Foundation. The “Hyperemesis Education and Research (HER) Foundation’s mission is to provide Hyperemesis Gravidarum support, advocacy, education, and research to improve treatment and outcomes. Since 2000, we have been a top resource for information on HG and have helped over 3 million people across the globe.” We are excited to partner with such an amazing group of women.

The main idea expressed by the artist-patients, through the images of this exhibit, is one of therapeutic release. It is “a participatory project with HG sufferers,” as Clare Hughes explains, and “[the work is a] visual metaphor for how its participants have felt during their pregnancies.” By sharing emotions, and thus reducing inner conflicts, art preoccupies the mind, body, and spirit in a method that is dissimilar from verbal
communication. Art emphasizes active body regulation, helping you replace the negative image with a positive one. “My babies are a blessing. Hyperemesis Gravidarum is a horrible curse, a curse that almost irrevocably changed my entire life,”states Leta Jeffers.

 

7 Best Doctors Photography Contest

AS A PART OF dnj Gallery's ART AND MED PROGRAM:

Attention Photographers:  

Please submit a photograph(s) of one of the “7 Best Doctors”--  your interpretation of any one of our highlighted seven doctors (please see image above).

dnj Gallery will have a reception of the most effective of the entries (7 photographs), at the gallery, on Saturday evening, October 18, from 6-8pm. These photographs will be installed in our installation room, to coincide with our ‘Art and Med’ program. www.dnjgallery.net 

THE CHOSEN PHOTOGRAPH FOR EACH CATEGORY (7 PHOTOGRAPHS) WILL BE INSTALLED.

These photographs will then be installed through the end of November:  October 18th-November 29th.

Only 2-D work is eligible.  Experimental and mixed techniques are welcome. Only two images will be accepted from any one artist.

Deadline:  September 28th, 2025

To enter:  send your jpeg(s) to office@dnjgallery.net with the title, “7 BEST DOCTORS” as the subject line.  Please include your name and contact information in the email. Winners will be notified within the next week.

Jurors:

Pamela Schoenberg— owner/director of dnj Gallery AND Ted Meyer-- co-curator of the 'Art and Med' program

Pamela Schoenberg, the owner and director of dnj Gallery, has been active in the art world for over 30 years. After receiving her BFA in both History and Photography from Washington University in St. Louis, she then graduated with her MFA in Studio Art/Photography from Mills College in Oakland, California. She studied with artists Joe Deal and Catherine Wagner consecutively. Schoenberg pursued and exhibited her photography for more than fifteen years before opening dnj Gallery. After graduate school, she lived in Jerusalem and was commissioned to photograph the immigration and acculturation of the Ethiopian Jews. In 1998, she received the "Artist-In-The-Community" grant from the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department. Schoenberg has also been involved with many Los Angeles institutions including Barnsdall Municipal Art Gallery where she worked for the education department and developed numerous elementary school programs. During this time, she published several essays for the Museum Education of Southern California (MESC) organization. Then at the Los Angeles Center for Photographic Studies, she assisted in organizing exhibitions, educational workshops and grant writing. She has also worked in museum education and taught workshops at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Skirball Cultural Center and The Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena. 

On July 2, 2023, Schoenberg received her certification as a Functional Health Coach. From October 2021 - October 2022, she attended the Kresser Institute to complete the Adapt Health Coach Training Program. In April 2024, the 'Art and Med' program began at dnj Gallery.

Ted Meyer is a nationally recognized artist, curator and patient advocate who helps patients, students and medical professionals see the positive in the worst life can offer. Ted’s decades long project “Scarred for Life: Mono- prints of Human Scars” chronicles the trauma and courage of people who have lived through accidents and health crises.

Ted seeks to improve patient/physician communications and speaks about living as an artist with illness. Telling stories about his own art and the stories behind his scar art collection, he offers insight into living with pain, illness, and disfigurement. Ted has been featured on NPR and in the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and USA Today. His work has been displayed internationally in museums, hospitals, and galleries. As the Artist in Residence at USC Keck School of Medicine, Ted curates exhibitions of artwork by patients whose subject matter coincides with medical school curriculum. Ted has curated shows by artists challenged by MS, cancer, germ phobias, back pain, and other diseases. He is a Visiting Scholar at the National Museum of Health and Medicine, is a graduate of the Aspen Leadership Seminars, was the 2017 Sterling Visiting Professorship at Stanford University and has been TEDMED mainstage speaker.

Ted’s rare niche mixes art, medicine, and stories of healing and survival, drawing from his experience as a lifelong patient of Gaucher Disease (an enzyme deficiency that affects bones and joints). Ted spent much of his childhood in severe pain. His work is influenced by his many hospital stays where he began mixing art and medical supplies. (How can you make something out of I.V. tubes, bandages and pipe cleaners?) Contorted, graphic skeletal images appear in his early paintings reflecting his belief that he would not reach his 30th birthday. He now considers himself normal and healthy; outliving friends, family, and early expectations.

New drug treatments and joint replacements have improved Ted’s life and this in turn has changed his artistic direction, shifting from “Ted-centric” images to those that highlight other people’s health problems. His “Scarred for Life” series chronicles events that suddenly changed people’s lives. During an expansive narrated visual presentation, audiences come to understand how a lifetime of chronic illness impacts an artist’s work. Ted’s curation turns devastating illnesses into a source of artistic expression, giving voice to people around the world living with rare diseases and disfigurement.

Ted’s paintings have been shown around the world, from Europe, to Asia, and throughout the United States. With subject matter ranging from introspective, to down-right humorous, his narrative always looks at human interactions.

Ted is a recent recipient of both a California Creative Core grant and

Ted is also a writer, photographer and illustrator. He has written and illustrated several books. “Shrink Yourself: The Complete do-it-Yourself Book of Freudian Psychoanalysis,” “The Butt Hello - And Other Reasons My Cats Drive Me Crazy,” “Cats Around the World,” “Good Things You Can Learn from A Bad Relationship,” “Scarred for Life,” and “Woman

CAC Individual Artist

Fellowship, and the National Association of Practice’s 2024 Patient Advocacy Award winner.

Napping with Animals.” His award-winning documentary, “King of Dinoland,” follows outsider artist Abe DeLacerda.

Artist-Patient/Medical Professional Conversation- "Spontaneous Activity" exhibition event

Thank you to all who attended our Parkinson Disease 'artist-Patient/Medical Professional Conversation' this past Saturday, June 14th. 

Ted Meyer moderated the discussion with dnj Gallery artists - Robin Temaiana Repp, Judith                       Amdur and Motor Development Specialist - Dr Danielle Thordason

To watch this discussion, please click here:

Open Mic- "Spontaneous Activity" exhibition event

 Thank you to all who attended our Parkinson Disease 'Open Mic' this past Saturday, May 31st. The platform allowed individuals and caretakers to share personal stories, poems and reflections about their experiences.

"One of hardest things I’ve ever done is put my trumpet down, which I did for two years, I was so frustrated. Then I looked online and read about other people’s journey with Parkinson’s. How they overcame their deficit to do what they loved was very inspiring for me. "

- John Peters

Photo: John Peters sharing in part of Parkinson's Open Mic, a 'Spontaneous Activity' exhibition event.

Webern Quartet- "Spontaneous Activity" exhibition event

 Thank you to all who attended Webern Quartet event as a part of our 'Spontaneous Activity' exhibition.  The gallery event featured the Webern Quartet with Michael Kaufman (cello) and Jonah Sirota (viola).

Program:

Lyric Suite - Alban Berg

Verklärte Nacht - Arnold Schoenberg

"Classical music can be a valuable tool for reducing anxiety and promoting relaxation due to its ability to lower stress hormones and calm the mind."

Invertigo Dance Theatre- "Spontaneous Activity" exhibition event

Thank you to all who attended Invertigo's event 'Dancing Through Parkinson's' event as a part of our 'Spontaneous Activity' exhibition. The gallery event featured workshops in creative dance and writing.

"Spontaneous Activity" Opening Reception

"Spontaneous Activity"

Featuring the work of:

Phil Althouse, Judith Amdur, Gail Buckley Ann Harwell, Clara Kluge, Robin Temaina - Repp Travis Robinson, Miguel Sanchez, Joan Horsfall Young, John Peters, James Tim Walker, Ben Zahavi

The subject of the current exhibition "Spontaneous Activity" is Parkinson’s disease. PD is a neurodegenerative disease due mostly to the deterioration around the base of the brain, which is involved in the coordination of movement. This illness slows activity, balance and bodily functions, as well as influences the senses and mental health. Cognition and memory consolidation are also greatly affected by Parkinson’s disease.

This “Art and Med” exhibition is designed to support Parkinson’s Community Los Angeles (PCLA). This organization “provides the most current and inclusive information to enhance their PD toolkit, implement practical strategies for daily living, and foster meaningful connections within the Los Angeles Parkinson’s community and beyond.” PCLA will not only aid in the creation of the community but will assist in locating the patient/artists for the exhibition.

These patient/artists create not only beautiful works of art, but powerful images that tell deeper, personal stories. Each piece reflects how Parkinson’s affects their lives, bodies and artistic journeys. Spontaneous activity is proof that beauty can come from struggle.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE EXHIBITION AND RELATED EVENTS.