This piece is an oil painting on 18×24 inch canvas meant to illustrate the struggle of housing insecurity and gentrification as they acutely impact the health of legacy communities in Durham and many rapidly growing cities like it. The dark hues of purple and blue in the sky and buildings allude to the despair of this phenomenon, a seemingly inescapable reality for so many in Durham. The man in the hospital gown at the focal point of the piece depicts how the obstacles to affordable housing directly impede the access, quality, and affordability of healthcare for these already struggling individuals. Unstable housing and subsequent challenges of accessing healthcare work synergistically in a pernicious cycle, deteriorating the health and housing conditions of our most vulnerable community members.
About the Artist: Max Beck
Max Beck is a rising second-year medical student from Wilmington, Delaware. He studied cultural anthropology and neuroscience at Duke as an undergraduate and worked in brain tumor research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia before returning to Duke for medical school. He is currently interested in oncology and surgery but is trying to keep an open mind with second year inbound! Outside of medicine, Max enjoys pickleball, political redistricting, trying new breweries in Durham, and surfing down the shore.
