Complementing medicine, enriching lives

Project Art celebrates 25 years of serving patients, staff at UI hospitals

People tend to be preoccupied when they arrive at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics—whether they’re hurrying to appointments, coming to work, or visiting a patient, they concentrate on getting where they’re going.

So they might not focus on the first artworks they see in the UIHC halls. They might not notice at first the sounds of a pianist playing in the John Colloton Pavilion Atrium. But soon, there’s a cumulative pleasant effect.

This special ambience doesn’t just happen. It’s the goal of Project Art, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary as a program dedicated to creating a good environment for hospital patients, staff, and visitors. It was the first hospital arts program of its kind in the nation and now is a model for other hospitals.

Project Art’s staff of four, which is directed by Adrienne Drapkin, works out of an office in the Patient and Visitor Activities Center, eight floors above that pianist in the atrium, off elevator F. They acquire, install, and maintain almost 5,800 art objects in the hospital, including 3,600 originals and 2,200 reproductions and prints. Patients may borrow framed posters from the Art Cart to help make their rooms more personal. They also may borrow art supplies.

The office also arranges exhibitions of art by local and regional artists in five gallery spaces within the hospital. Recently, a gallery near the Project Art office featured works by artists with disabilities who have learned to compensate in order to create their art. Additional galleries are in the Main Lobby and on the first level near elevator A in Boyd Tower.

“Our main goal is to provide a healing, humane environment,” says Alicia Cosentino, arts coordinator for Project Art, who schedules live music performances in the hospitals throughout the year. “We hope that patients, visitors, and staff alike enjoy what we do.”

Performing for patients

Cosentino schedules a variety of performances—from rock, jazz, and blues to theater and dance.

“We try to have one event per week,” she says, “but in some seasons we have more, such as the holidays.”

As she speaks, a high school choir from Clinton is caroling in the eighth floor lobby after having sung on every floor. In all, four choirs toured the hospital during the holiday season. Concerts were given by Major Grooves, an a capella choir of UI medical students; Heartbeats, the UI hospitals volunteer choir; and area fiddlers Alan and Aleta Murphy.

A father and son blues duo, Steve (left) and Sam Price, played for an appreciative lunch-hour crowd in John Colloton Pavilion in early January.

For some performers, coming to the hospital is not a one-time event. Cosentino particularly credits pianist Marcelina Turcanu, a graduate assistant in music who occasionally plays during lunch hours.

Turcanu says she enjoys performing in this venue.

“I just like playing for people who aren’t musicians—they listen with their soul. If my playing helps some people have good moments, I’m happy to do it. It’s fun for me.”

Drapkin says Project Art is planning a pilot program that would bring musicians directly into patient rooms.

“Recent studies have suggested that music can increase the pain threshold and counteract the ill effects of pain,” she explains. “We’ve already received one grant for the program and we’re applying for another.”

Art-filled hospital

UI Hospitals and Clinics has a permanent art collection that visitors and staff can’t help noticing as they move throughout the facilities. It was developed by Joyce P. Summerwill, who was the Project Art coordinator from 1978 to 1987, when she became director of Patient and Guest Relations. She retired in 1994, but she still is one of 15 members of the Art in State Buildings Art Acquisition Committee, which oversees acquisition of artwork for the permanent collection.

Iowa’s Art in State Buildings program mandates that one-half of one percent of total construction or renovation costs in state buildings be used to purchase fine art. Through these purchases, the UIHC collection has become the largest public art collection in the state outside of museums and art galleries.

Hospital staff members say they quickly develop favorite pieces of art.

“My favorites are three large pieces by Robert McKibben,” says Diana Lundell, director of communications, Joint Office for Marketing and Communications. “The medium is pastel on paper and their titles are Grinnell Alley with Clouds, Light Alley, and Autumn Alley. They are located on the third level between Carver and Colloton Pavilions, near Diagnostic Radiology and the Film Management office. I’m not often in this area of the hospital, so it’s always a treat for me when I come upon them in my travels.”

Lundell says the images in the three large paintings are not clearly in focus.

“I also like that, because it reminds me of being in a dream, more than real life,” she says. “The subject matter is nothing outstanding, as the titles suggest—just some views down some alleys, and that may be what I like best, that the artist has taken something most people would think of as ordinary and possibly even ugly and made them beautiful.”

Tending the collection

Christina Larson, collections coordinator for Project Art, says she hears many similar comments about individual works.

“Whenever I tell someone at the hospital that I work for Project Art, I literally see their eyes widen and their face light up with a smile,” she says. “They usually tell me their favorite artwork on display or explain how the artworks help them navigate around the hospital.”

Larson’s responsibilities are the maintenance and acquisition of the artwork.

“I assist in the selection process of new artwork and handle much of the paperwork involved in accessioning donated and purchased artwork,” she says. “Having worked for other art museums and galleries, I feel that the presence of art in a hospital setting has an added humanistic purpose. Patients, visitors, and staff, especially those who are going through a stressful time, often find refuge by looking at artwork around the hospital or attending one of Project Art’s weekly performances. The visual and performing arts can certainly evoke a peaceful feeling in people.”

Neither Donna Katen-Bahensky, director and chief executive of the UI Hospitals and Clinics, nor the Project Art staff could compare the size of the UIHC art collection with other hospitals. That’s not the kind of statistic that hospitals generally keep, they say.

“But I can guess that ours is probably quite advanced compared to other hospital arts organizations,” Larson says, “for three reasons: As the first hospital arts program of its kind, Project Art has had 25 years to expand the UI Hospitals and Clinics’ collection. Many other hospital art organizations that do not have a law in their state (to include purchases of art in construction and renovation projects) and therefore have to do fundraising in order to purchase artwork. And many do not have the help of an Art Acquisitions Committee.”

Celebrating 25 years

Project Art’s anniversary celebration in November featured tours of the permanent collection, several concerts, and construction by patients, visitors, and staff of a commemorative paper quilt featuring Project Art brochures, flyers, and other memorabilia from the past 25 years. The quilt now is part of the permanent art collection. When it is finished and framed, it will be installed, but its location has not been decided yet.

“Our celebration really was a success,” Cosentino says. “A lot of people came to participate, and they seemed particularly happy that the Patient and Visitor Activities Center was named for Joyce Summerwill.”

For more information about Project Art, visit www.uihealthcare.com/depts/projectart.

by Anne Tanner

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