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About Us Support Us Art Collection For Patients Hospital Staff Art Requests (password required) |
About Project ArtProject Art conducts a wide range of art programs and services, including a Permanent Collection of over 3,600 original works of art and 2,200 reproductions; Temporary Exhibits in four locations ofUI Hospitals and Clinics, representing local, regional, and nationally recognized artists; Performing Arts events, featuring music, dance, and theater; the Art Cart; and Art Supplies for patients. Since the inception of Project Art in 1978, UI Hospitals and Clinics have provided all of Project Art's programs at no charge. If additional funds are required, donations are raised before the event through grants from hospital departments, local businesses, corporations, foundations, the Iowa Arts Council and private contributions.
Humanizing the Healthcare EnvironmentWhat roles can the arts perform in a healthcare institution? How is patient recovery affected by environment and creative expression? These questions are answered in part in the introduction to case studies of health care facilities, which cite Project Art's efforts as worthy of modeling. "Throughout its development and to its core, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics believes that it must not only assemble the human expertise to make the healing, education and research components of its mission possible, but also must create an environment that promotes both healing for the patient and respite for the family. Call it the 'environment of care' or 'hospital decor,' University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics' physical environment is an experience to behold." (Doing The Right Things Right, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, 1997). The History of Project ArtAs early as 1976, under the supervision of the Hospital Architect, UI Hospitals and Clinics selected 71 prints for public areas in an effort to humanize the hospital. The positive response from patients, visitors and staff to the increased presence of visual arts led to the formal organization of an arts program. Following a 1977 feasibility study which recognized an interest in and a need for art in the health care environment, UI Hospitals and Clinics initiated Project Art in June of 1978, appointing Joyce Summerwill as Program Coordinator. Consultations with Wallace Tomasini, then Director of the School of Art and Art History, and several University of Iowa medical faculty who had a personal interest in the arts, contributed to the planning and development of the arts program. Under Summerwill's direction, Project Art opened its doors in 1978 with monthly art exhibits and leasing of art. Performing Arts events were initiated in May of 1979, the Art Cart in June of 1980, and studio art sessions in June of 1981. Summerwill secured a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1984 and expanded Project Art's role to include consulting for other hospitals starting their own Arts Programs. In 1987, Summerwill conducted a feasibility study for a Patient and Visitor Activities Center which came into being in 1989. The Art Cart was introduced in June of 1980 as a result of a gift from the Iowa Rainbow Girls who chose this service as their statewide fundraising project for the year. The initial gift of $3,000 provided the actual cart and 100 framed reproductions. Subsequent donations and gifts by patients, staff, individuals, service clubs and businesses have contributed to the growth of the Art Cart inventory to 1200 works. A dedicated group of volunteers implements the Art Cart program, offering framed posters to personalize the rooms of patients during their stay at the hospital. In 1987, Jane Stone was named director. Under her guidance, Project Art implemented art education internships at the Pediatric Bone Marrow Inpatient Unit. The following year Deborah Burger accepted the position of director, and remained through 1992. Burger added a "readings" component to the performing arts program (including evening poetry), introduced a "Guest-Fest" (walking tour of art for staff), and increased commitment to the staff choir, named "The Heartbeats." Additionally, she modified the Folk Festival to include blues music and demonstrations of traditional art, acquired a second grand piano through the Volunteer Program and began networking with Activities Therapy. Burger received an Iowa Arts Council Award for her contributions to the State of Iowa in art. Writer and artist Barbara Moss was the director from early 1993 to January 1994, during which time UI Hospitals and Clinics reaffirmed its commitment to the avant garde in art. Mark Towner became director in February of 1994. His initial priority was to increase the number of musical performances and raise programming methods and standards to those of art museums. Furthermore, Towner saw the need to increase the number and scope of special events, programs and exhibitions in an environment of healthcare downsizing and reduced funding in the arts. Installations administered by Towner include Windows, a collaboration by Jane Gilmor and pediatric patients in 1995, the 1996 presentation of The Face of Breast Cancer and the 1997 Ying Quartet Residency. Carl Lindquist was named director in 1999 and comissioned eleven beautiful ceramic tile paintings by Jafar Mogadam for the Department of Pediatrics. In 2002, Adrienne Drapkin, director of the Medical Museum at UI Hospitals & Clinics, was named director of Project Art as well. She added the Emerging Artists and World Cultures categories to the permanent collections, consolidating Turkish Weavings and Native American Art under the latter grouping.
How You Can Contribute to Project ArtTo continue to expand Project Art's services to our patients and visitors, private contributions are essential. These gifts can help fund new acquisitions, cover artists' fees, purchase art supplies, and meet other important needs. You may support Project Art through a number of programs conducted by The University of Iowa Foundation:
All gifts to Project Art through the UI Foundation qualify as charitable contributions to an IRS Sec. 501(c)(3) public charity for federal income, estate and gift tax purposes. For more information about private support for Project Art, contact: Sheila Baldwin, Director of Development or Adrienne Drapkin, Director Staff Members
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