About the Gallery with A Cause

The Gallery: All public areas - waiting rooms, hallways, and distribution areas (PODs) - inside the New Mexico Cancer Center feature wall art by New Mexico artists. Gallery director and curator Regina Held organizes a new 400-piece exhibition every three months, each launched with a public opening reception. With this many pieces per show displayed on about 20.000 running feet of wall space, Gallery With A Cause is among the largest exhibition venues in New Mexico. The purpose of the gallery is two-fold: The NM Cancer Center strongly believes in the healing and uplifting attributes of art and invests in these exhibitions to improve the patient experience and staff morale. In addition, art sales directly benefit the NM Cancer Center Foundation which raises funds to alleviate non-medical needs for cancer patients.

The Venue: The presence of art is one of the many ways the New Mexico Cancer Center distinguishes itself from other institutions of its kind. It is an independent, multi-disciplinary, multi-site practice operated by New Mexico Oncology Hematology Consultants Ltd. It was founded in 1987 by Dr. Clark Haskins and Dr. Barbara McAneny (a recent president of the American Medical Association). The practice has been dedicated to providing the highest quality, most compassionate, comprehensive, patient-centered cancer care in New Mexico, focusing first on patients and their needs. When the New Mexico Cancer Center was initially constructed in 2001, one of the primary design goals was to surround patients and staff with beauty and light. Thus, the center was constructed as a living art gallery as well as a medical facility.

The Beneficiary: The New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation is an independent non-profit branch of the NMCC run by Foundation Director Tim Tokarsky. It is unique in the country because it raises funds to provide financial assistance for non-medical needs for cancer patients. It does so through fundraisers, donations, and art sales and provides more than $ 130.000.00 to patients for assistance with housing, utility bills, transportation and the like. 40% of all art sales go to the New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation and are tax-deductible.