Inside the Exhibition Brushes With Death: Examining the Human Condition

Join Kathleen Gallo at the International Museum of Surgical Science to learn the stories behind the works and to learn more about the field of facial reconstructions. This all-encompassing lecture provides a glimpse into the process, exploration, and thought behind Gallo's extensive show, Brushes with Death: Examining the Human Condition.

This fascinating exhibition combines interactive installations, social commentary, fine art, medical/anatomical illustration, and forensic art into one show that examines what it means to be human. In this personal body of work, Gallo leads an expedition into her own mental and emotional capacity around the cyclical nature of destruction and birth. From highly rendered oil paintings to post-mortem facial reconstructions of the skulls in the IMSS collection, Gallo shares her passion for science, anthropology, and the arts.

Gallo received her BFA at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2020. She gained her training in anatomy through intensive studio anatomy courses with medical illustrator Roberto Osti, cadaver dissections at Hahnemann Hospital, auditing physical anthropology courses at the University of Pennsylvania under Dr. Janet Monge, and reconstruction workshops with forensic artist Joe Mullins at The New York Academy of Art. Gallo has created archaeological and forensic works for the International Museum of Surgical Science and the Penn Museum of Archeology and Anthropology as well as post-mortem facial reconstructions for Pima County PD, the Mutter Museum, and The Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This workshop will provide a glimpse into her professional drawing practice.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

International Museum of Surgical Science, 1524 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, United States