More than 50 artists have signed up to create works for mental health hospitals as part of a project to increase access to art in medical settings.
The charity Hospital Rooms has commissioned artists such as Lakwena Maciver and Alberta Whittle as part of a new three-year initiative delivered in collaboration with NHS Trusts in Birmingham, Bristol, NE London and SW Yorkshire.
The initiative is funded by a £600,000 Arts Council England National Lottery grant awarded in April this year.
Hospital Rooms was co-founded by artist Tim A Shaw and curator Niamh White after a close friend was admitted to a mental health hospital. On finding the environment cold and unfriendly, they had the idea to bring art to hospital settings.
In 2016 Shaw and White ran their first project at the Phoenix Unit, a rehabilitation unit for people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and have transformed 200 hospital rooms so far.
“We spent a substantial amount of time on research and development, and our artists have been selected based on what we have learnt at each site,” said White.
“Alberta, for instance, is working with us in Birmingham where she grew up. She has shadowed and led creative workshops with young people at the hospital and will make site-specific work there,” she added.
