NVRH hosts opening reception for artist Lori Hinrichsen, whose work explores the natural world and her own surprising medical journey
ST. JOHNSBURY, VT (February 5, 2025) – The Hanna and Charles Gray Gallery at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) is proud to announce the opening of a new exhibit, “One Hour North” by Vermont artist Lori Hinrichsen. The show runs from February 6 through March 10, 2025 and features a selection of Hinrichsen’s monotypes, intaglios, photographs, and stitching. The opening reception is open to the public and will take place on Tuesday, February 11 from 4:30 to 6pm. 
A Vermont resident for over 20 years, Lori grew up along the Iowa/Nebraska border in a family of 13 kids and graduated from the University of Kansas. She was actively involved in art residencies and teaching workshops at the Mendocino Art Center in northern California and was on staff at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson. She received fellowships from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts and the Vermont Studio Center and has participated in numerous group & solo shows.
Her artwork is inspired by her awareness and observations of the natural world and a “deep reverence for the ordinary.” Her stitched work draws from her interest in the patterns and path-making she finds in nature and the routes and mapping that she encounters in her daily life. “The challenge of taking an unknown path and the discoveries along the way,” she says in her artist’s statement. “Navigating unfamiliar territory, which can be challenging & exhilarating. A metaphor for living.”
Five months ago, Hinrichsen found herself on an unexpected path. While at home in her Lyndon studio, she suddenly felt dizzy and unwell. Her symptoms prompted her to call 911. Within minutes Hinrichsen was in the emergency department of NVRH, being readied for a helicopter ride to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center where she underwent surgery.
For Hinrichsen, who had been busy preparing for Vermont Open Studios, the heart attack came out of the blue. While cardiac issues run in her family, she was health-conscious, an active walker and skier. “I had just walked 14,000 steps,” she says. “I was feeling good.” She’s currently enrolled in the cardiac rehab program at NVRH, following a progressive aerobic exercise program and weekly patient education classes. She just graduated from the Cardiac Rehab Phase II program at NVRH, and is participating in the Cardiac Phase III program.
Charting an artist’s medical journey
While many of Hinrichsen’s monotypes and photographs reflect her immersive experience in the natural landscape; some recent artwork serves as a record of that eventful October day. One of the pieces in the exhibit, “90 Minutes,” documents in needlework and appliqué the 90-minute journey by ambulance and helicopter that took her from her home to the cardiac unit at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. During the flight to Hanover, the flight staff helped the anxious minutes pass by looking out at the brilliant fall foliage of the Vermont hills beneath them.
Hinrichsen is looking forward to the exhibit opening reception on February 11, where she’ll be reunited with Dr. John “Nez” Nesbitt and other staff who treated her at NVRH’s ED. She’s grateful for the life-saving care she received that day, and for the professionalism and kindness she experienced. “No one panicked,” she recalls. “They were caring, reassuring—they looked into my eyes and said ‘you’re going to be OK.’”
The exhibit will be on display at The Charles M. and Hanna H. Gray Gallery located on the hospital’s main floor from February 6 through March 10, 2025. To learn more about the gallery and the current exhibits, visit the Charles M. and Hanna H. Gray Gallery webpage at nvrh.org or contact the gallery Curator Jennifer Layn at j.layn@nvrh.org or 802-748-7313.
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