Art offers a therapeutic outlet for individuals with chronic illness, providing a vital means of processing feelings that can be difficult to verbalize. More profoundly, art fosters community, uniting people through shared experiences and bridging social barriers.
For Priscilla Smith, art has been essential throughout her endometriosis journey: an avenue for self-expression and a safe haven to explore her thoughts and feelings when other aspects of her life felt out of control.
In February 2026, Priscilla underwent an excision surgery for stage IV deep infiltrating endometriosis. However, things quickly went south. Following the surgery, she suffered a collapsed lung from internal bleeding, leading to a critical stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). Art became her lifeline.
“[Art] is a symbol of empowerment and hope like a signal flare, something that breaks through darkness, demands visibility, and signals that someone needs to be seen and heard. When I feel like I’m drowning, art is my life raft. It saved me more times than I probably even realize,” she said in September, speaking at the event that grew out of her recovery.
While recovering, Priscilla envisioned an event uniting artists and the endometriosis community, allowing them to connect and process the experience of living with a chronic condition often overlooked by medical professionals and society. This vision became FLARE (Flourish in Life through Art and Resources for Endometriosis), a three-day art exhibition and community education forum.
Priscilla connected with fellow patients Chelsea Hardesty, Racheli Aye, and KYRIANNA. All shared lived experience with endometriosis or chronic illness and a passion for art. Together, they planned the inaugural FLARE exhibit in New York City.
In August, Priscilla faced setbacks. Severe abdominal pain led her to the emergency room, where imaging revealed a small bowel obstruction caused by scar tissue and adhesions from endometriosis. She needed a second surgery, then developed a post-surgical bowel perforation that led to a two-and-a-half-week hospitalization. Despite these challenges, FLARE planning continued with only a few weeks remaining until opening.
Building a Movement
FLARE was entirely volunteer-led, with more than a dozen volunteers managing sponsorships, artist recruitment, event photography, and food.
Priscilla and her husband, Luke Smith, who together run the metal fabrication studio P&L Smithed, designed and built TRELLIS, a modular steel infrastructure for art display. Seven volunteer photographers captured the event. Boston-based chef Guara Pimenta, an endometriosis advocate and author of the cookbook Still, She Stands the Fire, donated his time to create food for the event’s dinner, opening reception, and artist luncheon.
The FLARE team received recognition from U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen (D-CO-7) for their work in making endometriosis visible through patient-created artwork, education, research, and advocacy.
FLARE: The Inaugural Exhibit
In September, over 30 artists from 13 countries traveled to New York City to display their art and share their patient journeys at FLARE. The three-day event blended an art exhibition with a community education forum. Attendees viewed powerful art, connected with artists themselves, learned from healthcare professionals, and heard patient stories about art’s role in healing.
FLARE coincided with the release of Priscilla’s debut book, Flourish Through the Fire, an art-centered guided journal designed for individuals with endometriosis. It invites readers to learn about the disease, process the emotions and experiences that can arise throughout different stages of their journey, and use self-expression to explore the elements and principles of art and design as tools for reflection, mindfulness, creativity, and connection.
The keynote presentation was delivered by clinical nutritionist Savannah Regensburger and endometriosis excision surgeon Dr. Chandra Spring-Robinson. Together, they discussed endometriosis as a whole-body disease, the tools patients need to manage the lifelong chronic condition, and updates on EndoEdu, a new physician-led online endometriosis community designed to educate and support patients through all stages of their disease journey.
Two panel conversations were held:
- A discussion on how art conveys lived experience, educates, builds community, and inspires action, featuring exhibiting artist Kyung Jeon-Miranda, actress Amanda Fuller, Kara O’Malley from Our Daughters Foundation, and Kyrianna.
- A conversation about support, recovery, referrals, and quality of life after diagnosis, treatment, or surgery, featuring dietitian Alexis Brooks, acupuncturist Winnie Chan, physical therapist Dr. Melanie Carminato, and endometriosis excision surgeon Dr. Jonas G. Wilson Leedy.
Between sessions, the event showcased special performances by several endometriosis patients: musician Ariel Bridges, singer/songwriter Carrie Wallace, musician Debra Stark, and coloratura soprano Ann-Marie Iacoviello. Over the course of the weekend, Amanda Fuller also directed and filmed a documentary about FLARE to be released at a later date.
The event aimed to create a safe space and instill hope. “We learn over time…that we can’t trust our bodies or we can’t trust our doctors, and it just becomes not good. I hope you go home thinking that the future will be a little brighter,” Priscilla shared in her closing remarks.
All artwork displayed during FLARE can be viewed online here.
