For Patients and Families

The View From Here
Towne Art Gallery, Wheelock College, 180 The Riverway, Boston
February 26 – March 28, 2013

About the Arts at Children's

At Boston Children's Hospital, the arts are recognized as a powerful tool to aid patients and families through challenging circumstances. A growing body of evidence confirms the benefits of using arts in healthcare settings. The Society for the Arts in Healthcare* reports that roughly half of US hospitals are using the arts to:

• Support the well-being of patients, families and staff
• Create a healing environment
• Lower stress and anxiety

Colorful, engaging works of art welcome and direct visitors. Special exhibits create community and provide a positive way to fill the time. A variety of artworks; sculpture, glass, kinetic and lighted artworks fill the hospital with visual delight. In clinical settings, artwork is used by staff to help distract and relax patients so that procedures go more smoothly.

Promoting healing, transforming the hospital experience and bringing joy to our visitors is a goal the arts help us to achieve.  We use all the arts have to offer to help provide the best possible care to the patients and families at Children's.

Programs

Monthly "Artful Adventures" workshops in the Patient entertainment Center are met with eager expectation. This unique hands-on cultural enrichment program is a collaboration with the office of the Education Department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Child Life Services.

Arts Program has recently partnered with the Center for Families and Volunteer Services to bring professional artists to Boston Children's Hospital. This program draws from Boston's diverse cultural resources, bringing unique activities to patients and families. Visiting Artists host small workshops on inpatient floors. We currently offer electronic music, jewelry design, community painting and creative writing.

Positive, participatory art experiences not only give patients and families a chance to step outside their circumstances but also inspire hope and a faster recovery. Self-expression is power. Creating art can provide children with a sense of control during a time when they are anything but in control. Interactions with visiting artists can expand a child's sense of the possible and counter isolation. A case in point: A recent workshop featured quadriplegic artist Tommy Hollenstein, who uses his wheelchair as his brush, spinning through paint to create vibrant abstract canvases. One participant who had suffered a severe head injury was so encouraged he talked - and walked - for the first time in several weeks.

Our diverse Art Collection also plays an important role in supporting the ideal patient experience. A variety of artworks; sculpture, glass, kinetic and lighted artworks fill the hospital with visual delight. Every patient room has original art. In clinical settings, the art becomes a way to distract and relax patients so that procedures go more smoothly. In our Radiology Department, the CT Scanner and surrounding walls are wrapped in colorful graphics depicting Fenway Park or a day at the beach. The audio-kinetic sculpture in our lobby is a favorite with adults and children alike.

The Creative Arts Program is one of the many ways we strive to provide the best possible patient care, quality and satisfaction to patients and families visiting Boston Children's Hospital. We welcome your feedback. Please send your comments or suggestions to Art Program Manager Jessica Finch, or call 617-355-ARTS (2787).