Rachel Mindrup: Neurofibromatosis and a Portrait of 1 in 3,000: Ashok Shrestha’s Transformation
Neurofibromatosis and a Portrait of 1 in 3,000: Ashok Shrestha’s Transformation
June 20 - August 17, 2025
Neurofibromatosis and a Portrait of 1 in 3,000: Ashok Shrestha’s Transformation is a powerful exhibition featuring nine works of printmaking, drawing, and painting by artist Rachel Mindrup, chronicling the medical journey and personal resilience of Ashok Shrestha, a young man from Nepal living with neurofibromatosis (NF)—a genetic disorder that causes tumors to form on nerve tissue.
In 2016, Ashok began fundraising to travel to the U.S. for life-altering surgery after NF caused significant facial disfigurement. He arrived in Chicago in late 2017 to undergo a series of complex procedures led by renowned reconstructive surgeon Dr. McKay McKinnon. These surgeries included cranial reconstruction and the placement of a prosthetic eye, made possible by over $70,000 in grassroots donations organized by Mindrup and community partners.
Mindrup, an associate professor at Creighton University and the Richard L. Deming, MD Endowed Chair in Medical Humanities, met Ashok while exhibiting her NF awareness portraits in Nebraska. She has painted over 110 portraits as part of her ongoing series, Many Faces of Neurofibromatosis, using art to elevate stories, raise awareness, and foster empathy.
About the Artist
Rachel Mindrup is an associate professor of drawing and painting and the Richard L. Deming, MD Endowed Chair in Medical Humanities at Creighton University. She received her BFA from the University of Nebraska - Kearney and then continued with atelier studies at the Art Academy of Los Angeles. She received her MFA from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. Her current painting practice is about the study of the figure and portraiture in art and its relation to medicine, healing and identity. Her son's diagnosis has been the motivation behind her series of portraits "Many Faces of Neurofibromatosis (NF)". She is currently painting someone with NF from all 50 states to bring to Washington D.C. when advocating for federal funding for NF research.
Mindrup's work has been shown nationally and internationally including the Queens Museum in Queens, NY, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Omaha and Kearney campuses, Georgia Regents University, Vanderbilt University and Washington University Medical School. Her artwork is held in many private collections including those of Primatologist Jane Goodall and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Learn More
Header Image: Namaste. Charcoal and Ink. 25” x 19”. 2018.
International Museum of Surgical Science acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.