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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 Community Learning at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Child Life Services.
Art for Kool Kidz has recently partnered with the Center for Families and Volunteer Services to bring professional artists to Children's Hospital Boston. 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 Art Program is one of the many ways we strive to provide the best possible patient care, quality and satisfaction to patients and families visiting Children's Hospital Boston. We welcome your feedback. Please send your comments or suggestions to Art Coordinator Jessica Finch, or call 617-355-ARTS (2787).
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