Street Anatomy

About

Street Anatomy obsessively covers the use of human anatomy in medicine, art, and design.

Street Anatomy began as a blog to educate people about the field of medical illustration and slowly evolved into an exploration of how anatomy is portrayed in everything from fine art to advertising. We’ve even seen its widespread use in street art and tattoos.

Anatomical illustration and medical imaging have broken out of the confines of the medical world and are being used by artists and designers to bring a human and emotional element to their work—as well as a touch of memento mori. Anatomy is very much a part of pop culture and artists are finding innovative ways to portray it every single day. I’m constantly amazed by what I find and by what other people send me.

Anatomy is not gross, it’s not repulsive, it’s beautiful. Our anatomy has incredible depth and beauty. At Street Anatomy, we’re dedicated to showing you how anatomy is visualized in its many forms.

About the Author

Street Anatomy is the creation of Vanessa Ruiz, art director, medical illustrator, blogger, and all out anatomy fanatic. She created Street Anatomy while getting her master’s in Biomedical Visualization at the University of Illinois at Chicago—one of only five medical illustration graduate programs in North America.

She currently works as an art director at one of the top pharmaceutical ad agencies in downtown Chicago and does freelance medical illustration and design work on the side.

Vanessa is also the author of Think Anatomy—links to the best human anatomy study aids on the Internet.

Feel free to contact her at vanessa@streetanatomy.com

Street Anatomy Contributors

Heather Tompkins is the first official contributor to Street Anatomy. Heather has been routinely submitting links to images containing anatomy in art and design.

Her excellent eye for spotting good illustration and design is just one of the reasons I asked her to start writing posts for Street Anatomy. Heather is also an extremely talented illustrator and filmmaker who’s done her own anatomical work including illustrating an anatomical heart tattoo for a friend.

She IS what Street Anatomy is all about.

Heather is currently freelancing in and around San Francisco.

Take a look through her stunning portfolio here or contact Heather personally at heatheratompkins@gmail.com

Jenny Drucker is a talented artist and designer living and working in Chicago as a senior art director at a top pharmaceutical advertising agency. Jenny has an incredible eye for beauty and originality, in fact she’s made it her goal to find unique anatomical art that even I haven’t seen before—quite a hard feat that she’s already succeeded at.  It’s that stubborn determination that encouraged me to ask her to start blogging for Street Anatomy.

Contact Jenny at jenny.drucker@gmail.com

Vanessa (mini-van) Vegter began leaving some of the most titillating and anatomically risqué commentary on Street Anatomy that had everyone on the team blush at least once.

Vanessa is currently finishing up her last year at the University of Calgary pursing a B.S. in Psychology.  Her focus is on neurology and brain processes interacting with social cues, primarily on the biological/societal influences on gender identity and the role of androgens in utero—basically, she’s a whore for hormones.

With an appreciation for anatomy from childhood and a passion for the expressive quality of all types of art forms, Vanessa is another perfect fit for the Street Anatomy world, of which she says, “when you stumble upon something that so obviously speaks to you it’s an amazing feeling. Two fundamental aspects of human existence coming together so flawlessly. I’m definitely feeling it.”

Contact Vanessa at vmvegter@ucalgary.ca

Aman Agah, born in NJ and hailing from Virginia, where she grew up, she currently resides in Brooklyn, NY where she kicks ass and takes names. A writer on the side with a film obsession, she runs the blog The Radish Press that she uses to write film critiques, upload terribly edited pictures of her cats using Microsoft paint, and muse on every day sort of things (all with hilarity and poise)

Aman in her own words:

I have always been interested in the supernatural and gothic and I have found that anatomy always plays a part in those tales. Frankenstein’s creation is one of my all time favorite characters in literature and film and it gave way to Edward Scissorhands… I think more than anatomy itself, I enjoy the possibilities of it; its use in art and literature and the fact that our bodies and the bodies of animals are so complex. I also have a fascination with death and the death of our bodies, and I have two anatomical tattoos!

Contact Aman at agah.aman@gmail.com

If you’re interested in becoming an official Street Anatomy contributor use the contact page to get in touch.

We’re always looking for individuals who are equally intrigued by anatomy!