Florida Skies (Hospital art installations, pt. 2)

The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new pediatric Congenital Heart Center at Shands was last week I'm so pleased with the way it all came together.  The theme, again, was "Florida Skies," and these funky floors were the basis for the images I did, seen here printed on large slabs of clear acrylic--a very cool method of displaying art in a hospital, when you think about it.  I did a set of four images that were printed and installed the same way in 2012 for the Pediatric outpatient clinic, and I've been really impressed with the quality of the work that this Gainesville print company does.  

In this slideshow from the local newspaper, and this short promo video, you can see a bit more of the unit, including the lovely mosaic work of one of my dear friends.   Overall, the team of people designing the physical space and visual experience in this hospital are just awesome.  It really helps that the Arts in Medicine program is so fully integrated into the hospital's mission and goals. 

The same print shop also printed my sun and moon decals that decorate the soffits in the patient rooms. 

The artistic experience won't stop with the walls and the floors; patients will be immersed in creative activities as much as possible while receiving care, as part of their whole-person treatment at Shands.  I just hope that soon, every major hospital will support a similar program and embrace this approach.