“Lyme Disease: Portrait of an Epidemic” Exhibition Opens November 5 at SUNY Adirondack
Paintings and personal stories from Warren County residents explore the impact of tick-borne illness, with a free opening reception and expert panel discussion.
Queensbury, NY – Artist Lynn Shanks will present “Lyme Disease: Portrait of an Epidemic,” an exhibition of expressive figurative paintings exploring the experience of Lyme disease and its co-infections, at SUNY Adirondack’s Visual Arts Gallery in Dearlove Hall from November 5 through December 10. Admission and parking are free.
The exhibition is a result of a year of preparation and painting, centered on in-depth conversations with nine Warren County residents who have lived with Lyme disease, along with Shanks’ own experience with the illness.
Through portraits and related works, the exhibition shares their stories – many shaped by late diagnoses and lasting effects – and depicts the realities of treatment, physical symptoms, and the emotional toll of the illness. Participants have shared how the disease has impacted their identity, energy, independence, careers, relationships, memories, and plans for the future.
Portions of the interview recordings will play in the gallery, and informational panels will accompany the artwork.
Opening Reception
An opening reception will be held Thursday, November 5, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Visual Arts Gallery. The reception is free and open to the public, with no reservation required.
Panel Discussion: November 12
To complement the exhibition, a panel discussion on Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections will take place Thursday, November 12, at 5:30 p.m. in the Scoville Learning Center Auditorium on the SUNY Adirondack campus. Shanks will open the program by discussing her artwork and the inspiration behind it, followed by a conversation with panelists on the growing problem of ticks and the diseases they carry and transmit in the southern Adirondack region.
Panelists Include:
- Holly Ahern (moderator): Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, ACES Diagnostics, Co-founder and Vice President, Lyme Action Network; Professor Emerita of Microbiology, SUNY Adirondack
- Dan Durkee: Public Health Program Administrator and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Warren County Health Services
- Deanna Lebel, MHS: Government Relations Manager, Center for Lyme Action
- Mary Beth Pfeiffer: Investigative reporter and author of Lyme: The First Epidemic of Climate Change
- Mark J. Soloski, Ph.D.: Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; Senior Advisor, Lyme Disease Research Center
- Ronald Stram, M.D.: Founder and Medical Director, Stram Center for Integrative Medicine
The panel discussion is free and open to the public, with no reservation required.
Visiting the Gallery
The Visual Arts Gallery is open 10am to 3pm Monday through Thursday, and 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. The closest parking to Dearlove Hall is North Parking Lot (North Bay Road Lot). Enter from the main Bay Road entrance and follow the campus perimeter drive to the north/northeast side of campus.
Media Opportunities
Members of the media interested in interviewing Lynn Shanks or panel participants, or in covering the opening reception or panel discussion, should contact Lynn Shanks at 518.745.7221 or lynnshanksarts@gmail.com.
This work is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts Statewide Community Regrants Program, administered locally by the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Images and artwork previews are available for download here >>
