I spent this week looking for more artists to feature in my chapter, as I really would like to highlight the creations of those who have worked to inform about and reduce stigma associated with vaccines. I want to, again, stress the importance and value of art in enacting change by sparking discussion in nearly every divisive topic, as I feel it is sometimes overlooked. One notable artist I came across in my research this week and would like to add to my final paper is Vik Muniz. Vik Muniz was commissioned along with a variety of other artists for a campaign in the hopes of encouraging vaccination by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The main goal of the project, known as “The Art of Saving a Life,” is to incite discussion and thought exchange as a result of the artworks in the campaign. The piece Vik Muniz created that ended up being used in “The Art of Saving a Life” was a unique floral piece that was created using liver cells that were infected by the virus used in the production of the smallpox vaccine (Ryzik, 2015). I aim to further explore the direct and indirect impacts of Muniz’s art, as well as that of the project “The Art of Saving a Life,” since its publication over 5 years ago.

Vik Muniz’s liver cell art piece for “The Art of Saving a Life” (Muniz)

We have also decided the order of our group members within the (Mis)Information chapter:

Emma: history of pandemics

Trina: conspiracy theories

Omar: racial inequality

Ali: social psychology of protest

Arron: hoarding and panic

Darius: minimal art influencing decisions

Sarah: future of vaccines

I have included an updated version of my extended outline from last week:

1. Introduction

   1. COVID-19: Background on the virus

      1. The virus is thought to have originated in Wuhan, China from an animal intermediary between bats and humans

      2. How is it transmitted? 

      3. What are symptoms associated with it?

      4. Who is most affected/most at-risk?

   2. Quarantine

      1. Precautionary measures taken across the world

      2. Variances between states

      3. Timelines of spread

   3. Antibody background

      1. Antibodies are the body’s response to a foreign invader

      2. Applications of antibodies in science

      3. Immunofluorescence - how does it work?

2. What is a vaccine/how does it work

   1. Historical background of vaccines

      1. Who created the first vaccine?

      2. Significant vaccines

         1. Polio

         2. Flu

         3. HPV

         4. Meningococcal and pneumococcal

         5. Tetanus 

   2. Describe how vaccines work

      1. Include antibody significance

         1. Direct

         2. Indirect

         3. Uses

3. Politics of vaccines

   1. Discuss anti-vaccination stances

      1. Historical protests against vaccines

      2. Recent anti-vaccination protests

      3. Protests to re-open overlap with anti-vaccination stance

   2. Refutation of stances

      1. Arguments in support of vaccines

      2. Arguments debunking common anti-vaccination arguments

4. Issues surrounding vaccine production for COVID-19

   1. Quality vs. speed

      1. Vaccine development timeline

      2. Include reopening public spaces protests contradicting with anti-vaccination despite overlap

   2. Who will receive the vaccine first?

      1. Frontline workers vs. general public

      2. Those that can’t afford vs. wealthiest

      3. What will distribution look like?

      4. Necessity vs. price

5. Artists involved with vaccines/antibodies

   1. Kaisu koski

      1. Include publications on medical students’ interacting with parents

      2. How to better interact/converse with anti-vaccination parents 

      3. Discuss photo series on vaccines

   2. Dr. Yujun Chen

      1. Elaborate on other artists from the photomicrography contest

      2. Examples of photomicrography

      3. “I was stricken by the unexpected beauty of small things.”

   3. Derek Sung

      1. Immunofluorescence instagram account

      2. Include interview of Sung / background information / why did he start the account

      3. Example photos from account

   4. Vik Muniz

      1. “The Art of Saving a Life” piece for Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

      2. Impact of entire vaccine art campaign

      3. “Waste Land” film and artwork associated with it

6. Proposal for antibody artwork

   1. Using antibodies to inform about antibodies

   2. Photo series of immunofluorescent lung tissue samples of COVID-19 patients at different stages/severities

7. Conclusion

​Arslanoglu, Julie, et al. “From Immunology to Art: Antibody Research in the Conservation Sciences.” Metmuseum.org,www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/conservation-and-scientific-research/projects/immunology-to-art.

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Chen,Yujun, and Jocelyn McDonald. “2019 Photomicrography Competition.” 2019 Photomicrography Competition, Nikon Small World, 2019, https://www.nikonsmallworld.com/galleries/2019-photomicrography-competition/a-pair-of-ovaries-from-an-adult-drosophila-female.

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Immunofluorescence. (@immunofluorescence). “COVID-19 has become a global pandemic…” Instagram, 13 Mar. 2020, https://www.instagram.com/p/B9rEwggJdys/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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“Immunofluorescence a Simple Overview.” Immunofluorescence, a Basic Overview, https://oni.bio/immunofluorescence.

Kim, Daniel. “Protester Heidi Munoz Gleisner, Left, Was Removed from a Demonstration against Gov. Gavin’s Newsom’s Stay-at-Home Order by California Highway Patrol Officers after They Ordered a Crowd of People to Leave the Capitol Grounds Friday, May 1, 2020.” Sacbee, The Sacramento Bee, 1 May 2020, https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article242421321.html.

Knaus, Christopher. “Covid-19 Vaccines: Pressure Is on to Ensure They Go to the Most Needy, Not the Highest Bidder.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 26 Apr. 2020, www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/27/covid-19-vaccines-pressure-is-on-to-ensure-they-go-to-the-most-needy-not-the-highest-bidder.

Koski,Kaisu. KAISU KOSKI, www.kaisukoski.com/publications.

Koski,Kaisu. “Syringe Sequence #1.” KaisuKoski, 2015, http://www.kaisukoski.com/about/plant-based-vaccines.

Muniz, Vik. Flowers - The Beauty of Vaccines. 2015, www.artofsavingalife.com. 

Ryzik, Melena. “Gates Foundation Uses Art to Encourage Vaccination.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 6 Jan. 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/01/07/arts/design/gates-foundation-uses-art-to-encourage-vaccination.html.

Sandals, Leah. “The Art of Vaccination.” Canadian Art, 25 May 2017, https://canadianart.ca/features/the-art-of-vaccination/.

Stanton, Sam, et al. “32 Arrested in California Capitol Protest Demanding End to Stay-at-Home Order, CHP Says.” Sacbee, The Sacramento Bee, 1 May 2020, www.sacbee.com/news/local/article242421321.html.

Stewart, Jessica. “Striking Winners of the 2019 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition Show the Artistry of Science.” My Modern Met, 23 Oct. 2019, https://mymodernmet.com/nikon-small-world-photomicrography-2019/.

“Ten Great Public Health Achievements --- United States, 2001--2010.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 May 2011, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6019a5.htm. 

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