Health Care Fine Art

Press Check

Light Table at Modern Litho

I'm having an installation brochure printed today. I went in to do a press check to be sure the colors were just right. Fortunately the team at Mondern Litho is as converned about color accuracy as I am. The snapshot above shows their light lable where I looked at one of the prints.

If you want to make sure the colors that you see on your monitor are correct the best thing you can do is to buy a colorimeter for your computer and use it a few times a year. A good one like the X-Rite Eye-One Display  costs about $150.

5 Tips for using this Website

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This website has grown over the last few years into a sort of Handbook on the use of Art in HealthCare. There are over 850 articles. Here are five tips to help you quickly find what you are interested in:

1. Use the Search Feature
2. Look at the Table of Contents
3. Don't miss Older Posts
4. Leave and Read Comments
5. Download the Free Book

Search Feature

If there is a topic or person you are looking for, type it into the Search field on the upper right. For example, if you type in "Budget" dozens of references to budget on the blog appear.

Table of Contents

Blogs are arranged by time rather than by subject. The newest posts are always at the top. That can make it hard to find things. To help narrow down your search, I created a table of contents: click here.

Older Posts

No more than ten posts can appear on one page of this website. But older articles may have the information you are interested in. To see them, when you get to the very bottom of a page be sure to press the >> icon with an underline under it.

Leave a Comment

One way blogs are different than other websites is that they allow readers to leave comments. This can lead to some pretty interesting discussions. To read those discussions you need to click the word "comments" found at the bottom of every post.

If you have an opinion on a topic, please leave a comment. Click here to see an explanation about how to leave comments.

Download the Free Book

I've taken the most useful articles from this website and turned them into a book: "Picture of Health, Handbook for Healthcare Art." This 217 page book has practical tips and insights on how to best use art in healthcare. You can download a free copy of the book by clicking here.

What's Changed in Healthcare Art?

 

Dr. Sarajane Eisen is a leading researcher on Evidence-based Art.  Recently I interviewed her by email:

What changes have you seen with the use of art in healthcare over the last ten years?
There is a heightened awareness of the need for art in hospitals. The word is out about the positive psychological benefits of art in healthcare environments.

What about the kind of art that is displayed? How has that changed?
Nature art is widely accepted as being the most appropriate for healthcare. However, despite all the research there are still those who debate abstract vs. nature art.

What other changes have you seen?
There is a greater  use of professional Art consultants to specify and provide art.

What is the key thing that research has revealed about art in healthcare in the last decade?
Research has revealed the important role art plays in contributing to a supportive environment, which in turn contributes to stress reduction and the healing process.
 
What are the key topics that you feel need to be addressed in the next decade?
Research of art in a variety of healthcare environments where little or no research has been conducted  For example psychiatric treatment/recovery centers like the VA hospitals.  They are undergoing major renovations with large amount of dollars being invested - yet there is not a single published research study
 
What mistakes do you see when people try to use evidence-based art to help with their art selection for hospitals?
People must be cognizant of the various factors factors affecting art selection, based on the EBD recommendations. 'One size does not fit all.'

Many factors play into the appropriate art selection: culture, gender, age, ethnicity. Individuals need to understand the guidelines that research has generated for art selection, but beyond that they need to understand that art images must be appropriately selected for specific healthcare space art images.  What works well in a lobby/reception area is not necessarily appropriate for a patient room or an MRI room.
 
Is there anything else you would like to say?
Research is an on-going, information-generating process, not conclusive.  We, as researchers in healthcare environments, are continually seeking new insights to better inform designers and decision-makers to assist them in making the very best design decisions that can positively impact both patients an their caregivers.  There is still so much that needs to be researched - some totally unaddressed and some areas more in-depth. Areas such as color and art, themes and art, special patient populations  and art. So it continues to be quite an exciting field of research and discovery.

Some of Dr. Eisen's articles on Evidence-based Design:

Eisen, S. L., Nanda, U., & Zanah, R.  (2010). Effect of art on patient anxiety in a psychiatric
holding unit and implications for the business case. The Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, Leeds, England.
 
Eisen, S. L., & Parker, F. M. (2010).  Comparing centralized vs. centralized nursing unit design as a determinant of stress and job satisfaction, in review..
 
Eisen, S. (2010). Art in pediatric healthcare environments, book chapter contribution,
Design Details for Health, 2nd edition., Leibrock, C. & Harris D., authors, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey, in publication.
 
Eisen, S..L., (2008).The healing effects of art: in pediatric healthcare, The Journal for Child HealthCare, London, England.
 
Nanda, U., Eisen, S. L., & Baladandayuthapani, V. (2008). Undertaking an art survey to compare patients vs. design student art preferences, Environment & Behavior, New York. 

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Dr. Eisin earned her  PhD from Texas A&M University and now works as Assistant professor at Txas Christian University. She serves on the board of AAHID and is EDAC certified.

Art for Dental Offices

Dr. Del Fiero General Dentistry, Chula Vista, CA. Interior Design by Patti Rague

An interview with Patti Rague. Patti is an Interior Designer in San Diego who specializes in Dental and Medical Offices.

Is selecting art for dental offices different than medical offices?  How does the "fear factor" affect your choice of art?
I see dental and their many related specialties as actually part of the medical market. The fear factor that many patients have walking into a dental office to have "work done" is usually quite high and artwork is an important focal point in the overall atmosphere that we attempt to create. Many times the patient is in some level of pain so their anxiety is high and those emotions need to be considered as well as those of the companion or parent accompanying them.


Evidence-based Design (EBD) is a growing trend in healthcare design. How much is it used in dental design?
EBD is definately a very positive trend and by sharing this information with collegues, posting info. on the web thru education and discussion, and also bringing it to the table in the early stages with new projects,  we as professionals don't have to think that we are re-designing the wheel  each time. Seeing the results of certain changes in the industry by EBD can prove that particular techniques in design development can have very positive affects as well as those that should not be repeated.

EBD research suggests that realistic non-treatening nature images are the best for medical interiors. Because of this the use of nature art in healthcare is expanding. Do you see a similar trend in dental offices?
There are quite a few specific disciplines in the Dental arena from Pediatric dental/orthodontics to maxillo/facial reconstructive surgery and everything in between. However all of those disciplines have specific treatment or procedural areas so we tend to look at the clinical/treatment areas a bit differently than those of the non clinical and common/path of travel areas. By creating pocket areas for different use we can bring in the nature images more in the treatment areas and still maintain whatever the style or theme dictates in the common areas. This often creates a more intentional serene environment for the patient during the procedures and recovery.


Are most dental clinics owned directly by the dentists?  Are dentists typically involved with the choice of art? Are they aware of EBD?
The types of projects we typically develop are for an individual Dr. or corporation of 2-3 Dr.s....  the other type of clinic style of a franchised dental clinic usually takes on a cookie cutter format so that the patient can identify the location from city to city or region to region. Our clients own their practice and often the building or office condo where their practice resides.  80% are new practices from Dr/s that are just breaking away from an established practice, moving the practice or coming out of a residency and starting out for the first time. The balance can be remodels or moving to a new larger facility.

I will make sure that the Dr. has the ultimate decision of the artwork selections that we present to him as part of the overall scheme of the office unless there is a particular theme or style that is determined at the beginning of the design development.  Each office is specifically designed for the Dr. by going through an exhaustive question and answer meeting to try to find out about their personal style, practice demographics and something on a personal level that might give the office a special patient friendly interest.

How did you come to specialize in doing interior design work for dental and medical offices?
In the early 80's we would design and develop anything "inside the box", but I have always had an interest in the more technical based interior improvements from Research and Development to laboratories and medical offices. By developing a team approach with medical suppliers, General Contractor and associated engineers specific to this industry we have created a very credible position in the marketplace.  With this niche market and a couple hundred dental/medical projects completed, referrals come to us from existing facilities to commercial brokers specializing in medical office buildings.

How has dental design work changed since you started?
The dental equipment has changed dramatically in the design of their products,  from the patient chairs to the delivery systems, many offices can be quite modular in their treatment areas. The central units have compartments from which the equipment can be secured so that the treatment areas are very clean and streamlined and provide a much more quieting affect on a patient. Television monitors in the ceiling now keep a patient's attention, Xrays are digital and the cuspidors are a thing of the past.

With more interest in Cosmetic Dentistry, specialist referrals and a fee for service concept,  there is much more attention given to the patient comfort, physical environment, ADA accessibility as well as the working environment for the staff.  The layout of the office with more thought toward patient privacy, path of travel, clinical and non-clinical areas and the use of resiliant materials that do not have to maintain the harsh clinical look, we can create a professional environment that has an ambiance more conducive to comfort and healing for the patient.
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Patti Rague owns RagueSTUDIO an Interior Design firm that specializes in dental and medical offices. She can be reached by calling (619) 501-8977.

Coming to terms with a blanket acceptance of nature images

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Dr. Upali Nanda lets her hair down in a new opinion piece for Research Design Connections

As the leading researcher on Evidence-based Art she must hear complaints that she is promoting mediocrity since her studies keep showing that nature images are the best. In this article she addresses her critics and reveals her own feelings.

“… I have had my own trouble coming to terms with this blanket acceptance of nature images.”

“The point is that there is a fundamental link to nature that nothing man made seems able to supersede, which takes on special significance when we consider the circumstances of a hospital admission.”

“… we can still intuitively say that we don’t want a facility with the very same image on every wall, no matter how therapeutic that image is proven to be. So, do we want the same “type” of image?”

“The purpose of research is not to curb creativity, but to shape it and direct it, which becomes difficult when the word Evidence is considered to be the Enemy of “A”rt.”

“Artists have often critiqued some of the most prominent studies stating that they do not use examples of high quality art and that they promote mediocrity in the art field.”

“Hospitals are not museums to educate or entertain ... Patients who are certainly “challenged” enough by their health do not to want to be challenged further. Loyalty in healthcare art is not towards the Artist, or the field of the Arts, but towards the patient.”

“Evidence, to date, tells us about content, not media, and media is an untapped resource to create variety in an art program.”

“It is imperative stop wasting time by challenging robust findings and studies and instead focus on doing research that can answer important questions in what the studies done before do not address.”

Her article is titled “Visual Art in Healthcare: Is the Jury Still Out?” To read it you need to be a subscriber to Research Design Connections. It only costs $99/year. To subscribe click here.

If you are not ready to subscribe you can email me and I will send you a PDF copy of the full article. My email address is henry@henrydomke.com

Award Contest for Healthcare Art

The deadline for the International Healthcare Art Awards is March 1st. This is a great marketing opportunity if you are involved with healthcare art projects. The winners will be showcased in front of senior decision makers from across the US and around the globe.

Application is by 750 word submission and up to 10 images.  As a non profit organisation they ask for a £150 ($240.69) entry fee which goes towards covering the logistics/judges etc and the process is one of initial panel review, short list then presentation in Boston in July.

The key things are to illustrate how the project meets (or better still exceeds) the needs of client and end user; stakeholder involvement and where possible how it innovates in approach or brings forward the practice of using Art as a restorative medium within the setting.

To learn more about this contest and to download the application form, click here.

The contest is sponsored by the International Academy of Health & Design

 

Healing Landscapes Research

A mixed prospect and refuge landscape by Ellen Vincent, PhD

Why do people prefer one landscape over another? Our biology is better at explaining this than cultural or environmental theories according to Dr. Ellen Vincent.

Thinking of landscapes from a biological (or evolutionary) perspective, Jay Appleton distilled all landscapes into one of three categories:

Prospect - A Vista, typically a view from a high point.

Refuge - Shelter from the threatening weather, animals or people.

Hazard - Threatening weather, animals or people.

These are the categories that Dr. VIncent uses when she does her research at Clemson University to find the most therapeutic landscape images for people in pain in a hospital.

An article describing how she does her research can be found in Healthcare Designs's Art Corner in the January 2011 issue. To read the full article, click here.

Ellen Vincent, PhD, is an environmental landscape specialist at Clemson University's Department of Environmental Horticulture.

Dr. Photo

Julie Tristan of KSDK-TV interviewed me this week at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Here is a two and a half minute video about my work with art in healthcare.

To see the video clip, click here

Western Art & Architecture article on Healthcare Art

Art Installation by Spellman Brady at Boone Hospital Center. Art by Henry Domke

Western Art & Architecture has an article exploring they way that hospitals across America are tapping into art’s healing powers. Isabelle T. Walker writes:

Florence Nightingale knew art helped people heal long before modern science began delving into the matter. In her Notes on Nursing, she wrote: “Little as we know about the way in which we are affected by form, by color and light, we do know this, they have an actual physical effect. Variety of form and brilliance of color in the objects presented to patients are actual means of recovery.”

Nightingale would like what hospitals and doctors’ offices are doing with art today, placing it intentionally in rooms, treatment areas and hallways to support patients’ recovery; using it to calm visitors and as way-finding markers in big facilities.

To read the full article and see a slide show of art instalations, click here.

Old Fence Wire

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Brice Marden is one of my favorite living painters. Peter Schjeldahl described him as "the most profound abstract painter of the past four decades."

This week I was hauling some fence wire to be recycled and the pattern caught my eye; it reminded me of Marden's work. I came back with my camera and took some pictures. Here is one of Mardens paintings:

DRIP Cold Mountain 5 (Open) 1989 – 1991, oil on linen

The January 2011 issue of Art in America has an article on Marden's new work: Letters from a Painter.