Art Committee for New Hospital Pediatric Wing Seeks Unique Theme for Artwork Commissions
Challenge: A suburban hospital in the Midwest sought a centralizing theme for its new pediatric wing. It asked three different art consultants for their ideas on a over-all scheme which would be engaging to children, support the color and design scheme, and enliven the environment of this health-care facility.

Solution: ArtSource's concept of "Games" was selected by the committee as its top choice for theme. In developing this, our art consultants first commissioned two large collage works by Scott Hefti, which incorporated a series of "Where's Waldo?" type hidden objects in an otherwise ordinary suburban street scene. Signage on the side of each mural listed the objects that the children could find hidden in the paintings. This engaging game of "hidden objects" was carried over into a wall canvas created by Thomas Melvin, with a large outdoor garden scene hiding such common items as a baseball and a watch.

In the waiting areas, where lively color patterns were present in the chairs and carpet, ArtSource worked with Jane Murray-Lewis to create whimsical, fairy-tale paintings on silk fabric, with child-like characters floating and playing in various scenarios. The theme was carried over into actual white ceramic tiles painted by neighborhood children and mounted as a wall piece.

		Finally, to reflect the community being served and to continue the "collage/puzzle" theme, ArtSource commissioned Trena McNabb to create a wall piece with overlapping imagery of scenes from the surrounding town, including cows, runners, mother and child faces, and familiar buildings. The painting also reflected the ethnic diversity of the hospital population.