The Weisman Art Museum presents a pop-up exhibition of artwork by Christopher Houltberg in conjunction with the online event Extensive Alterations: A Conversation Between an Artist-Patient and His Doctors. After six years of chronic illness and seeing nearly thirty doctors, CHRIS HOULTBERG underwent a Total Pancreatectomy with Auto Islet Transplant: an incredibly complex surgery where the pancreas is removed and processed to extract cells that are then placed in the liver. This experience prompted Chris, an artist and designer, to start the project EXTENSIVE ALTERATIONS to re-imagine the patterns and rhythms of living with chronic illness and recovery from an organ transplant. He uses medicine bottles, feeding tubes, and images of removed organs to design intricate collages and installations that explore elements such as pain, empathy, and suffering that he experienced during his illness and treatment.
Meet the Artist
Chat with artist Chris Houltberg at "office hours" on April 9 from 2 – 5 p.m. at the Weisman Art Museum.
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Related online event: On April 6, 2022, Chris and the doctors who treated him will join us online for a public conversation about the intersections of aesthetics and medicine as well as the human connection between doctor and patient. With DR. JANINE PINGLE (Internist), DR. GREG BEILMAN (Surgeon) and DR. MELENA BELLIN (Endocrinologist). The panel discussion will be facilitated by DR. JON HALBERG. Register for the online conversation
Christopher Houltberg
Christopher Houltberg is a Minneapolis-based artist, designer and educator. Born in Salina, Kansas, Houltberg went to the West Coast for undergraduate studies and the East Coast for graduate school. His creative practice includes making, designing and teaching aesthetics and sits at the intersection of design and fine art. Houltberg’s artwork has been exhibited both locally and nationally and recipient of a Jerome Fellowship (2012) and a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant (2020). He currently is an Associate Professor of Art & Design and co-founder of Design & Agency at Augsburg University.
