MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) – A Minot State University professor is using his artwork to share his recent journey with health concerns.
Ryan Stander has been an art professor at Minot State University for the past 12 years.
In April 2022, Stander went to a local clinic complaining of chest pains and left after being told he had a mass in his chest.
Although several tests proved that he did not have cancer, the artist was told that his situation was unique and that further tests were needed.
A third biopsy revealed that she had Castleman’s disease, a disease that causes abnormal growth of the lymphatic system.
On September 15 of that year, doctors removed the 8-pound mass. This surgery damaged his vocal cords, but also gave him a new vision for his artwork.
“Work is something that helps me process. So I’m thinking about these experiences to refine my thinking, but I’m also thinking about people who have gone through similar physical trauma. ” said Stander.
Stander uses the technique of wet plate collodion photography, which dates back to approximately 1851, to navigate his own experiences and express his interactions with people with similar convalescent trauma.
“If they can find something in my story that they can relate to and start articulating some of those things,” Stander said.
Stander’s work is currently on display at the Taub Art Museum in Minot.
Stander said he is applying to future art shows around the country in hopes of providing relevance about trauma in health recovery.
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