Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund Brings Art to the Public Hospital System
Hoping to make residents care more about their local health centers, the city’s public hospital network is starting by making the centers more interesting to look at. To do so, they are enlisting the help of muralists.
The Arts and Medicine Program under NYC Health + Hospitals announced nine artists on Thursday that will participate in the collaborative art project at eight hospitals across the five boroughs, including Brooklyn’s Coney Island and Kings County hospitals.
The project is part of a larger effort by the city’s public health care system to re-imagine hospitals and facilitate greater neighborhood wellness that was first started in the 1930s. The program aims to promote an interest in health care while working against the stigma of sickness.
“It is clear from decades of research that the arts promote healing in many important ways. The arts help celebrate shared history and culture, promote physical healing, reduce stress and support mental health,” said Eric Wei, doctor and vice president of the public health system, in a press release.
The artists, chosen from a pool of more than 100 applicants, will engage with patients, staff and community residents to create an integrated internal or external mural within the hospital’s facility, according to the announcement...