Cancer Center Top 40

Working as an artist-in-medicine

If you follow Amaris on Instagram, like me (Nora), you may have noticed her series of “Cancer Center Top 40” posts earlier this year. These colorful posts consisted of four panels of image, accompanied by a line of a song—some I knew well, others long-buried, and a handful I had never heard of, prompting me to look them up. Amaris’ use of the panels and lyrics was agile and moving, each post a moment of genuine intimacy, which is an unexpected phenomenon on Instagram these days. Amaris had created these works from her time as artist-in-medicine at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center. I asked her if she would talk a bit about her experience, and making the Top 40 series, which she shares here:

As an “artist-in-medicine” at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center, I initiate creative encounters with patients, their friends and family, and the medical professionals who serve them. In the waiting rooms and infusion suites, I facilitate drawing or poetry activities, offer art supplies to help pass the time and transport people, and spend a fair amount of time just chatting and listening.

One day, I asked patients to help create a Cancer Center “Top 40” song list. People told me the songs that pumped them up, that gave them the energy or courage to meet the day. They told me the songs that brought them back to a moment in time when they were happy. A song that was on the radio when they met their spouse. They shared songs that seem to describe what the chemo experience felt like. Some of the songs they shared are somber and reflective, vibrant and celebratory, or playful; some might seem like an odd selection or a perfect one, depending on your mood, the day, the journey. 

This series of abstract comics is more than just a visual representation; it's a manifestation of “holding space” for the individuals I’ve had the privilege to interact with. Each comic is a tribute to the complex emotional experiences–fear, hope, love, sadness, defiance, etc.–that these melodies and lyrics evoke. It’s a mindful practice of creating a safe, empathetic, and non-judgmental space, allowing individuals to fully express themselves through song selection and music’s ability to capture the depth of human experience. Through this project, I aimed to honor their stories, our time together at the Cancer Center, and the transformative power of song. While I named this project “The Cancer Center Top 40,” it doesn’t operate in the way of a traditional “Top 40” on the radio—there is no number one hit or best song for a cancer journey. Rather, I chose that phrase because I knew it would be instantly recognizable to patients, even through the fog of “chemo brain.”

The “Top 40” song list and accompanying series of abstract comics are not just artistic outputs; they are symbols of the indomitable spirit of the patients, their courage, and the unspoken bonds we share. Even through life’s toughest challenges, music and art can offer a powerful means of healing, understanding, and celebrating the human experience. I hope these melodies, lyrics, and images will act as enduring reminders of the strength, vulnerability, and beauty inherent in each person’s story.

I printed this series as a zine, and I have been leaving copies at the Cancer Center each week. They disappear right away.

If you are interested in getting a Top 40 zine yourself or sponsoring to go to the Cancer Center, you can contact Amaris at: ketchama [at] unm [dot] edu.

And, to end, here is one of Nora’s favorites - (I will never hear “Stacy’s Mom” in the same way!):