Hospitals are paving the way for progressive healing through the arts.

 

“Having artwork in the hospital made me feel human again,” a patient at Duke University Hospital.

The arts have increasingly been integrated in health centers due to the creative arts' positive impact on our mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. In this guide we shed light on the various ways that hospital art collections and artists are employing arts in medicine—changing hospitals from scary, sterile facilities into welcoming and engaging centers. 

 

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What will you find in this guide?

 

How hospital art helped one family cope

An Artwork Archive teammate shares her story of how the art at Children’s Hospital Colorado helped her and her family handle the stresses and complexities of having a child born with a rare genetic syndrome and living his first three months in the hospital. 

A spotlight on a pioneer in arts and medicine

Michigan Medicine’s Gifts of Art program is one of the founding arts in medicine programs. Art in hospitals is now a given thanks to progressive programs like Gifts of Art at the University of Michigan. Learn how the program brings the world of art and music to patients, families, visitors, faculty, students and staff at the University of Michigan’s multi-hospital medical center.

Why hospitals are an excellent exhibition space for artists

Thanks to evidence-based research more than 50% of heathcare centers are spending operating budget on art and arts programming. Thus, hospitals are a great place for artists to showcase their works. Learn how art humanizes the clinical space and how artists can be a part of that process. 

How hospitals are preserving their art collections 

Art has become an integral part for not only patient care, but for families and staff as well. As hospital art collections grow and age, there are multiple balls for program leaders to juggle. Learn how hospitals around the country are preserving and protecting their artworks, and leaving a lasting impact on their community.