She was recently featured in , discussing her artistic journey, which started when she discovered silhouette and paper-cutting techniques as a teenager. She stepped away from this art form when she went to college – earning a bachelor’s degree from Murray State – but came back to it when painting became a challenge.

“… with little time and little space to paint, I started cutting paper again. I began with cards and small pieces to send to my college friends, and then they kept getting bigger, and I’ve kept on cutting paper and haven’t looked back since,” she told the publication.Ěý

Stewart’s very first solo show was held in May, so she admits the LVA award came as a bit of a surprise.Ěý

“I was completely floored,” Stewart told Insider Louisville. “I had no idea I’d even been nominated, so I was both excited and totally confused at the same time.”

Stewart is currently working on her MFA thesis exhibition, which is in April. .Ěý

Presented by the Partnership for a Compassionate Louisville, the award is given to health care professionals who inspire others to be more compassionate. The honorees will receive their awards during the 4th Annual Commitment to Compassion Luncheon at the Muhammad Ali Center, 144 N. 6th St., on Wednesday, Feb. 27. They include: 

Matt Adamkin, MD, assistant professor in the Division Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, UofL School of Medicine, is among this year’s winners for his work with Special Olympics athletes. Adamkin is a physical medicine and rehab physician in the UofL Department of Neurological Surgery and .

His volunteer work with Special Olympics Kentucky includes providing no-cost physicals to the special athletes who have intellectual or developmental difficulties.

Amanda Corzine, MSN, RN, SANE-A, and Vicki Yazel, BSN, RN, SANE-A, are receiving a joint award for their work at , a program that has helped hundreds of sexual assault and domestic violence victims in the Louisville area.

Corzine, coordinator of SAFE Services, was instrumental in implementing an evidence-based domestic violence screening tool in the UofL Hospital Emergency Department that connects victims to immediate advocacy services. She has expanded the office to provide 24-hour availability and new services, including domestic violence forensic exams, the first in Kentucky. Yazel, assistant coordinator of SAFE Services, has strengthened the hospital’s relationships with law enforcement agencies and is improving human trafficking screening in the emergency department.

The fourth UofL recipient is Joseph D’Ambrosio, PhD, Director of Health Innovation and Sustainability at the UofL Trager Institute. He is a licensed marriage and family therapist, and a professor at the UofL School of Medicine. He also teaches couples and family therapy courses for students at UofL’s Kent School of Social Work.

D’Ambrosio also is involved in the development of a Compassionate Cities Index – a validated measurement of a city’s compassion. The index will be a reliable and accurate tool for measuring the prevalence of compassion in cities.

Wednesday’s event is hosted by Passport Health Plan, Insider Louisville and the Compassionate Louisville Healthcare Constellation. Read more on the .