About Street Anatomy
Street Anatomy is obsessed with the beauty and intrigue of human anatomy. Founded in 2007 by Vanessa Ruiz, Street Anatomy is dedicated to showcasing how anatomy is visualized in art, design, and pop culture through our visual blog, gallery shows, and gallery store.
Anatomical illustration is breaking out of the confines of the medical world. Artists and designers are using anatomy to bring a human and emotional element to their art—as well as a touch of memento mori. Through Street Anatomy, Vanessa promotes artists who find innovative ways to portray anatomy in contemporary art, street art, tattoos, fashion, and beyond.
Street Anatomy is based in Chicago. You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
About the Founder
Obsessed with the beauty and intrigue of human anatomy Vanessa Ruiz founded Street Anatomy in 2007 while getting her Master of Science degree in Biomedical Visualization at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She took Street Anatomy from a small blog to a fully branded platform with an international following.
As a result of running Street Anatomy, Vanessa was chosen to be a speaker at TEDMED 2015. Her talk, The Spellbinding Art of Human Anatomy, was featured on TED.com with a reach of 1.5 million people and counting. She currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board helping to nominate artists to the TEDMED stage.
Vanessa is currently a Creative Director creating engaging and empathetic digital experiences that help people understand and take control of their health.
Learn more about Vanessa and see her work at Designanatomist.com and LinkedIn.
Books
Anatomy: Exploring the Human Body by Phaidon Editors with an introduction by Professor Thomas Schnalke. Selected texts written by Vanessa Ruiz for artists Max Brödel, Pauline Lariviere, and Ron Mueck. 2019.
Articles
The Power of Visualization for Healthcare: A Conversation with Vanessa Ruiz
Wolters Kluwer Health - Emmi Solutions Blog. 2018.
The Future of Infusing Art Into Anatomy
Ruiz V. TEDMED Blog. 2016.
Anatomy for Everybody
Chen E. The Scientist. 2014.
Bones & Blood Make Blog Pop Art: Medical Illustrator Jared Interviews Vanessa Ruiz
Travnicek J. Fortnight Journal. 2012.
Body Worshipper: Vanessa Ruiz’s blog celebrates the use of anatomy in popular culture
Kott R. UIC Alumni Magazine. 2011
Gut reaction: Anatomical imagery meets the street at the International Museum of Surgical Science
Weinberg L. Time Out Chicago. 2010
New Exhibit Brings Blog to Life
Wilusz L. The Columbia Chronicle. 2010.
Street Anatomy Gallery Show
Reaves K. Gapers Block. 2010
Street Anatomy’s Heart Beats for Art, Medicine and Queered Science
Sab. Autostraddle. 2010
Underneath It All: Medical illustration + pop culture = Web Blog
Knufken K. USD Magazine. 2008.
Talks
What Healthcare Can Learn from Street Artists
Speaker at MidwestUX. Chicago, 2018.
The Colliding Worlds of Medical Illustration and Anatomical Art
Speaker at the Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI) Annual Meeting. Atlanta, 2016.
Inside the Mind of Medical Artists
Speaker at the National Museum of Health and Medicine. Chicago, 2016.
Spotlight Health 2016, Episode 3 (Podcast)
Thatcher E. Aspen Public Radio. 2016.
The Spellbinding Art of Human Anatomy
Speaker at TEDMED. Palm Springs, 2015.
Street Anatomy – A night of art, anatomy, and pop culture
Speaker at the Morbid Anatomy Museum. Brooklyn, 2014.
Why the Role of Curator is No Longer Limited to Fine Art
Panelist at Chicago Ideas Week, 2013.