Art and Medical Education—Thoughts from Detroit to Nashville
January 6th, 2010Realizing that I never finished my blog about Day 2 at the Harvard Art Museum’s Art and Medical Education conference, I thought I would add to those thoughts now. Coming off our visit to Detroit, where both the DIA and MOCAD sit in close proximity to the medical center, and headed to a visit to the Frist in Nashville, who maintains a strong relationship with Vanderbilt’s medical center, it seems as if there is growing energy and propelling those of us working in the art world to bridge the gap with those in the medical world. The points of intersection are numerous, whether they exist with engagement of patients, medical teams, students, residents, or otherwise.
As my position is jointly appointed with the Brown School of Social Work, who recently founded the Institute for Public Health, this is adding further fuel to this intellectual fire. For this particular partnership, my current mode of exploration, while broad in focus, continues to return to the theme of health disparities—how can art museums use an engagement around art to address health disparities? I would love your thoughts and comments about this particular train of thought.
don’t forget the art on display at the washington university school of medicine…
specifically here:
http://fltc.wustl.edu/exhibit/exhibit.html
Thanks, Tony! Great point – I’ve long appreciated the use of art, particularly the display of art produced by medical school faculty and students, at the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center. This, in addition to the public sculpture and art in patient rooms, makes for a more visually interesting environment that promotes healing and growth.
I just returned from visiting Vanderbilt University’s Medical Center in Nashville, Texas, and they are another great example of the emphasis the medical center is placing on art and environment on patients, public, and community groups. Their children’s hospital is a great example of taking aesthetics into consideration seriously when designing for the best possible facility in which to provide patient care and includes thoughtfully-installed, locally-produced art work indoors and a very touching healing garden outdoors. They also have used a satellite facility, 100 Oaks, to present artwork created by community groups with whom they are working.
I think you mean Tennessee:) I felt the need to clarify as my father is a physician at Vandy Children’s. . .it is a beautiful hospital, but I didn’t realize how much they do with art. Thanks for sharing!