Great American Art
The CEO of one of New England's premier hospitals received a letter from a patient saying how great the care she received was, but the physical environment, especially the art, was a true disservice to the patients. The CEO made it his mission to implement a fully donor funded art program hospital wide to create a calming space.
In Great American Art's initial walk-thru, we noted the walls were filled with things that didn't aid in the healing process. Using EBD for art to guide selections, we enhanced the physical environment providing points of connection with meaningful works of art that help all deal with the challenging circumstances they face.
GOAL
The goal was to create a healing art program throughout the hospital that focused on local artists and art that that would transform the aesthetics of the space, raising it to match the high level of care provided by this institution. We wanted everyone, especially patients, to feel comforted by the space and to use art in their healing process.
CHALLENGE
One of the challenges was to transform the corridors on the main floor from one of exclusion to one of inclusion. These corridors were filled with historical portraits of retired doctors and donors, presenting a challenge for the evolving demographic of the community using the space to connect with that imagery. Making this physical change required a change of culture as well.
SOLUTION
The solution was a curated collection of local artists with various physical and mental challenges who are using art to create opportunity, empowerment and validation. This Inspiring Connections Collection is an acknowledgement of art's ability to communicate, encourage and allay physical and mental trials. It traces a communal path on the healing journey; from the challenges the artists face and how they use art in their healing to fostering wholeness and wellbeing in patients and their families, employees and visitors.
KEY FINDINGS, MEASURABLE RESULTS & NEXT STEPS
The response from patients, visitors and staff has been very positive. On any given day, you can see people walking these corridors, taking in the art, reading the stories of the artists and connecting to their experiences.
Links To Published Articles On The Project
