Many organizations and businesses have “community impact” as part of its formal vision. By purchasing original artwork from local and regional artists, organizations achieve this in a particularly productive way. The artists often live in the same regions as our clients and staff. The images and stories imbued in their work are familiar to our clients and staff — creating a connection. Original artwork includes sculpture, textiles, ceramic and glass work. This diversity of media and size brings distinctiveness and personality, communicates corporate values (even sophistication, success and innovation). Original artwork communicates to our clients and staff that we care enough about their perceptions of our environment to install original artwork rather than posters like a motel. It is difficult to articulate the power of a hand created artwork without sounding sentimental. Yet, most of us instinctively understand the magic in seeing the brushstrokes and thickness of the paint, the charcoal dust on the drawing, and the imperfect chisel marks in the clay. The new Robbins Pavilion at the Lois Hole Hospital for Women in Edmonton is a dramatic example of this philosophy. Capital Health Edmonton Area and Dialog Design partnered to improve every aspect of hospital design—with detailed attention to the positive effect created by wall colours, flooring, furnishings, lighting, cabinetry. Over 700 pieces of original artwork were acquired to adorn every waiting area, corridor end, patient and exam rooms. It is a stunning example of how art can improve business.

1. arts co n su ltin g
S. Pointe & Co.
Edmonton, Alberta I (780) 719-9044 I spointe@shaw.ca I 2/12/15
improving business with the arts
Over the past several years the healthcare world has been discovering something that
generations of mothers might say is intuitively clear — that when we are sick, the aesthetics
of our surroundings make a big difference to our recovery.
Of course, intuitive belief needs to be supported by robust evidence, and for this we can
turn to the US-based Centre for Health Design. It gathers, shares, and supports research
into the effect of design on clinical outcomes, economic performance, productivity, and
patient satisfaction. For example:
• A study led by Roger R. Ulrich from the Centre for Health Systems at Texas A & M examined
patients recovering from surgery. Those with a view of soothing landscape art had shorter
hospital stays (7.96 versus 8.70 days) and required significantly less pain medication than a
control group without artwork.
• At the Chelsea Westminster Hospital in the UK women in labour had a view of
purpose-designed abstract artwork. They were in labour 2.1 hours less than a control
group with no artwork—and requests for epidural analgesia diminished proportionately.
In the same study, chemotherapy recipients exposed to visual art had significantly lower
self-reported anxiety and depressioni
.
• Chelsea Westminster also examined the impact of environment on a sample of
nursing and medical staff. The findings were strongly positive for attracting and retaining
staff, with two thirds of respondents reporting that design factors such as light, colour,
visual art and live music greatly influenced their decision to apply for a position, or to
work at the hospital.
More generally the absence of artwork encourages an explosion of “staff decorating.”
This is the motley combination of bleakly-worded notices, scary posters from drug
companies, counter-top clutter and staff snapshots. To put a human face on this,
compare two quotes. The first is in the Atlantic magazineii
, from an article by a cancer
patient, unsettled by the soul-numbing surroundings as she waited in a hospital for her
chemotherapy treatment:
I’m sitting in a mauve vinyl recliner facing a mauve laminate counter and cabinets.
On the countertop are a couple of candy jars, five peacock feathers leaning around a
black wall phone, a small plant that may or may not be real, and three boxes of
medical-exam gloves. A curling five-by-seven-inch photo of the participants in a
2000 fund-raising walk hangs below a sign warning guests not to use cell phones.
Someone has pinned three teddy bears to a small strip of cork on the grayish-white
wall. “I’m gonna be okay,” says the slogan on the orange bear’s chest. The yellow
bear wears a blue scrub outfit with an 800 number and the slogan for a cancer
organization. On the white bear, hot-pink embroidery declares, “Cancer sucks.”
The Power of Artwork in Healthcare

2. Meanwhile, here is what a patient wrote to the Administrative Director, Scripps Memorial
Hospital Breast Cancer Center, (La Jolla, California):
Your center is spectacular -- the environment, the people, the resources, the
commitment. Your center is an outstanding role model for all health facilities that
have the opportunity to create themselves from the ground up. The colors, the
curves, the art, the beautiful and varied representations of women, were all a delight.
The cleanliness was perfect. The overall effect was very calming and nurturing
at a fearful time....I don't need to have my anxiety magnified by scary, metal, clinical,
smelly (ammonia??) mechanically staffed offices….For once, a published mission
statement and the experience of it matched! Hats off to you and all who made the
BCC possible.
The new Robbins Pavilion at the Lois Hole Hospital for Women in Edmonton is a dramatic
example of this philosophy. Capital Health Edmonton Area and the architectural firm Cohos
Evamyiii
partnered to improve every aspect of hospital design—with detailed attention to the
positive effect created by wall colours, flooring, furnishings, lighting, cabinetry, and original
artwork.
As for the artwork, it also brings these additional benefits. Virtually every hospital has
“community impact” as part of its formal vision. By purchasing original artwork from local
and regional artists, the hospital achieves this in a particularly productive way. The artists
live in the same regions as our patients and their families. The images and stories imbued
in their work are familiar to patients, families and staff — creating comfort.
Original artwork includes sculpture, textiles, ceramic and glass work. This diversity of
media and size brings distinctiveness to multiple corridors and rooms. Original artwork
communicates to our patients and staff that we care enough about their perceptions of
our environment to install original artwork rather than posters like a motel.
It is difficult to articulate the power of a hand created artwork without sounding
sentimental. Yet, most of us instinctively understand the magic in seeing the brushstrokes
and thickness of the paint, the charcoal dust on the drawing, and the imperfect chisel
marks in the clay.
Susan Pointe is the former Art Advisor for University Hospitals where she directed the McMullen
Art Gallery, Hospital Art Collection and the Artists On the Wards. Today, Susan Pointe is the owner
of S. Pointe & Co. Inc. an arts consulting firm that specializes in arts in healthcare as well as facilitates
corporate art collecting.
i
http://www.publicartonline.org.uk/resources/research/documents/ChelseaAndWestminsterResear
chproject.pdf
ii
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/04/the-art-of-healing/306705/
iii
Cohos Evamy is now known as Dialog and Capital Health is now Alberta Health Services.