UW News

December 4, 2008

Harborview and UW Medical Center art on display at Seattle City Hall

Forty-two artworks from the collections of Harborview Medical Center and UW Medical Center will be on display in The Picture of Health, a free exhibition at Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave., through Jan. 30. The exhibit, which began on Dec. 3,  includes artworks by Lockwood Dennis, Junko Yamamoto, George Tsutakawa, Michael Fajans, MalPina Chan, Victoria Adams and other recognized artists. The Picture of Health will be on display in City Hall’s first floor lobby and the Anne Focke Gallery located on the L2 level of City Hall. City Hall is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. A free public reception will be held from 4 to 6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 7, in the City Hall Atrium Gallery.


A growing body of evidence indicates that the presence of artwork, artists and arts experiences in the patient care environment can benefits patients and their loved ones. Art can alleviate stress, provide positive diversion, inspire hope, and contribute to an atmosphere of healing and restoration. In the hospital setting, art addresses the health of the human spirit and body, reminding us of the human connections, life experiences and memories that can support and comfort us as we confront illness or grief.



For more than 25 years, UW Medicine has been a leader in the nation’s art therapy movement. At Harborview Medical Center and the UW Medical Center, the presence of fine art supports our commitment to excellence in patient care. It complements the world-class research and technology available to the patients we serve and reinforces our dedication to compassion — bringing beauty, creativity, fellowship and the boundless human imagination directly to bear on the process of healing.


Harborview Medical Center was one of the first institutions in the nation to recognize the benefits of art in the health care setting. An early beneficiary of one of the country’s first Percent for Art ordinances, established in 1970 and administered today by 4Culture, Harborview features integrated art and a variety of portable artworks in all media, placed in primary public areas throughout the facility. Other funding sources support the acquisition of art for patient rooms, examination rooms and treatment rooms, and provide for performance and literary projects in addition to those involving the visual arts. Harborview maintains an ongoing schedule of temporary exhibitions, produced in partnership with local artists and arts organizations. The medical center also provides regular workshops for patients, who enjoy the opportunity to express themselves creatively with support and guidance from a professional artist. Harborview’s Norm Maleng Building, completed in 2008, showcases the medical center’s Contemporary Northwest Ceramics Collection, which features works in clay by regional master artists from 1950 to the present.


The UW Medical Center’s permanent art collection comprises 556 works (both 2-D and 3-D) by Northwest artists from Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. The collection, featuring regionally, nationally and internationally established artists as well as new and emerging artists, is sited throughout the public and patient care areas. Additionally, the medical center has assembled an outstanding international textile collection, which includes more than 450 objects from countries and cultures around the world. UWMC was also the first hospital in the region to establish an artist-in-residence program. This program brings regional visual and performing artists to UWMC. The Artist-in-Residence program provides regularly scheduled hands-on art experiences for patients in group sessions and at the bedside. The medical center’s Skylight Gallery features changing exhibitions of work by students, staff members, patients and community art groups. The art program’s major funding is provided by the UWMC Service League, a volunteer, non-profit organization that raises money for patient services through sales at three espresso stands, a tea room and the hospital’s gift shop. The art program also is supported by individuals, organizations, businesses and foundations.


The 42 works of art included in this exhibition offer a glimpse of the collections that UW Medicine makes available to the patients and families.

The Picture of Health exhibition is presented by the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs in partnership with UW Medicine.

Contact Peggy Weiss, Harborview Art Program, at pweiss@u.washington.edu or Karen Neuhard-Forsythe, UW Medical Center Art Program, at neuhardk@u.washington.edu  for more information about the medical center’s art collections. For more information about Seattle City Hall exhibits, visit www.seattle.gov/arts.