'Purpose-Built' Art in Hospitals: Art with Intent - Paperback

by Judy Rollins (Author)

Over the past three decades, guidance on the selection of art in hospitals has suggested realistic art that depicts soothing and comforting images such as tranquil waters, green vegetation, flowers, and open spaces. Based on these findings, curators have been cautioned to avoid art with uncertain meaning that risks upsetting viewers in stressful states. However, some hospitals exhibit ambiguous or abstract art and cite anecdotal evidence of its appropriateness for healthcare settings. More recent research is going beyond anecdotal evidence, and indicates that the ambiguity of meaning in abstract compositions can have positive effects.

'Purpose-built' Art in Hospitals is built on an international study of artwork in hospitals around the globe. Exploring 'purpose-built' (specially commissioned) artwork in hospitals through the dual lens of an artist and healthcare professional, Rollins identifies 15 specific 'purposes' of visual artwork in hospitals and presents a compelling case for their use that is grounded in research. The book builds the reader's understanding of the many functions of artwork in hospitals, with the goal of encouraging greater variety in art offerings to better serve the many diverse needs of patients, families, visitors and staff within the hospital environment.

Author Biography

Judy Rollins is Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Pediatrics at Georgetown University, Adjunct Lecturer in the Center for Arts in Medicine at University of Florida College of Arts and a Scholar at The Institute for Integrative Health, USA. She is also the President of Rollins & Associates Research and Consulting, with nearly 40 years' experience of arts in health within hospitals, hospices, military settings and wider communities. She is a two-time winner of the American Journal of Nursing's Book of the Year Award, with her major publications including Meeting Children's Psychosocial Needs Across the Health-Care Continuum (2005, 2018) and Therapeutic Activities for Children and Teens Coping with Health Issues (2011).