Health Care Fine Art

GSA Contracts - Selling Art to the Government

Logo for the General Services Administration (GSA)

We have just finished our application to get GSA Certification. Why should someone interested in the use of Art in Hospitals go through all the paperwork? GSA Certification means you are much more likely to be considered for US Government Hospitals:

• VA Hospitals
• Military Hospitals

Without a  GSA contract you can still do business with them, but they can not order more than $3000 from you per project.

To learn more:
Wikipedia Overview of GSA: Click here
GSA Official Site: Click here

HCD08

The audience at Jain Malkin's Talk on Evidence-based Design

Today is the last day of HCD08 (the HealthCare Design 2008 conference). Once again this 4-day conference has proven to be of great value for those interested in the use of art in HealthCare.

The conference is a great place to see art and learn about how others are using art in hospitals. You have the opportunity to meet the top people in the field who specify art, buy art and sell art. All the researchers doing work on Evidence-based Art were there.

In the exhibit area there are at least 15 companies with booths displaying art for healthcare. Here is a snapshot of me and Lorna at our booth:

3,200 people showed up for this conference in Washington DC. It is a diverse mix which includes among other things Interior Designers, Architects and hospital admininstration. Most of the attendees are from North America but there is a growing number of those from around the globe.

I've taken some snapshots of the confernce. To see the pictures, click here.

I've written before about why I consider this the most important conference on the use of art in HealthCare. Click here to read  "HCD08 - Best HealthCare Design Conference". Next year HCH09 is going to be in Orlando, Florida. I've already signed up to go again.

Specifying Healthcare Colors - what the research says

Jean Young offered a concise opinion on the use of color in healthcare in an email she sent me last week:

... there is NO EVIDENCE that shows us which color makes a difference in our healing environment. Very important to note that. There is SO much misinformation out there about this.

To back up her idea she referred me an article that she wrote called A summary of Color in Healthcare Environments: A Critical Review of the Research Literature. To read the article, which was in HealthCare Design Magazine: click here.

She also questioned the use of my language in the post "Rules for picking Colors".

I would like to recommend that you possibly reconsider renaming one item that says “Rules for Picking Colors”. We do not like to refer to specifying colors as “picking”; it really is way more than that.

Jean M. Young, ASID, CID, AAHID is President and Chief Designer/Planner at Young + Co., Inc. in San Diego.

Leigh Fogle Interview

Leigh Fogle owns and manages one of the fastest growing companies involved with art for HealthCare in the Southeast: Fogle Fine Art. I called her this week to ask her some questions about the business.

How has the current economic downturn affected your business?

We started seeing a slowdown in the 3rd quarter of 2007. Small companies like ours started to feel the downturn before the larger companies got hit.
 
Our business has three sides, retail, corporate and healthcare. The corporate work has had the biggest hit; especially the banks. Our bank business is gone. High-end retail has remained strong. Our healthcare business is fine. However, we are bracing for a possible downturn in Healthcare Art budgets over the next few years. Hospital construction will continue, but if inflation goes up (as we expect) then the hospitals will have less money to devote to Art. Art budgets will be cut.

 
Tell me a little about Fogle Fine Art. How did you get into this?

I started college at DePauw University with a major in economics; I’ve always loved numbers. But numbers weren’t enough, I love working with people and I love art, so I switched to Indiana University. There I earned a BA with a degree as an Art History major. I minored in psychology and studio art.
 
Right after graduation my husband, a musician, convinced me to move to Jacksonville, Florida.

How did the company start and how has it changed over the years?

In 1994, one year after moving to Jacksonville, I started Leigh Fogle Fine Art. I bought a used Matt-cutter and  my husband (Bryan) and I started the business in our house. Our focus was providing framing and poster art for corporate clients.
 
In 1996 we got an SBA loan and leased 3,600 square feet of office space. We also changed the name to Fogle Fine Art and Accessories. Business grew rapidly so in 2001 we leased the adjacent office to expand our space to 6,000 square feet.
 
Healthcare became an increasing focus starting in 2003. Jacksonville was a referral hub for healthcare with facilities like Mayo Clinic and Shands. We worked with them and that became a special interest of mine.
 
In 2005 we moved to our current location. It is bigger (10,000 square feet) and it is in a better location to hold events (we have a lot of events in the gallery).

 
Why are you drawn to art for healthcare?

My interest goes back many years. Even in the 7th grade I remember writing a school paper on the psychological impact of color. With my background in art and psychology in college, I considered Art Therapy as a career move in 1994.
 
Art in hospitals affects people more than corporate art. I don’t treat it as a “product”, but rather I approach the work as a partner with the hospital. Often I involve local artists to reach out to the local community.

 
How has your staffing changed over the years?

In 1994 there were just two of us. In 1996 we had expanded to 4. In 2001 we had grown to 12 employees, but most of them were part-time. Today we have 8 full-time employees and 2 or more part-time employees. We intentionally want to stay small. I want to stay small enough to be “hands on”.

 
What geographic area do you serve?

We serve the entire Southeastern United States and plan to stay within that region. Since framing is such a big part of our business (60-70%), shipping the framed art becomes a major issue. By focusing on the Southeast we can keep down shipping costs and be more available to our clients.
 
Recently my husband has gotten a full-time job as a songwriter in Nashville. This means  I will be spending more time in Nashville which is perfect to better serve the Southeast. I had already been working with companies based in Nashville (Earl Swenson, Gresham Smith and HCA). Now that I will be there more I can better serve them.

What percentage of your business is HealthCare

20 to 25% and growing.

Do you refer to Evidence-based Art when helping a HealthCare client come up with an art program?

I am not an expert on Evidence-based Design (EBD) yet, but I’m learning about it. I tend to go with my gut and my background in Art History.

I am aware of the studies done at Texas A&M showing that art depicting clear, unambiguous nature scenes helps patients recover faster and with less pain medication. Crisp, clear photographs are always powerful as the viewer can put themselves into the picture, so to speak.

Some research on Evidence-based Art suggests that abstract art is inappropriate for patient care areas. What is your opinion?

Even though I like abstract art, I agree. In patient care areas representational art that is calm and peaceful is important. But I think that even more important than subject  matter is color. Blues and greens are the colors of nature and these work much better in healthcare.
 
In other parts of the hospital I think it is fine to bring in abstraction. Often I like to see a transition to abstraction when going from patient care areas to public areas. One way to do this is to use representational images of nature are close up and hence tend to read as abstract; like images of water.

Fogle Fine Art & Accessories
3312 Beach Blvd.
Jacksonville FL 32207
www.foglefineart.com
(800) 298-4828

HCD08 - Best HealthCare Design Conference

I only go to one conference a year, so I want to make sure it is the best. The HealthCare Design conferences (this year called HEALTHCARE DESIGN 08 or HCD08) are what I'm looking for. This will be the fourth year-in-a-row that I have exhibited there. The only change I would like to see is a broader international presence.

The very best people in the field are there; the decision makers. The best designers, the top organizations, the most progressive facilities.

It is also the best place to learn about and see art for healthcare. The top providers of art for Healthcare have a major presence. Glancing at a list of exhibitors I found:

• American Art Resources - booth 420
• Art Dallas Incorporated - booth 1038
• Art.com - booth 1127
• Artline Wholesalers - booth 214
• Distinctive Art Source - booth 724
• Health Environment Art Services - booth 910
• Henry Domke Fine Art - booth 825
• Meltdown Glass Art & Design LLC - booth 839
• Monte Nagler Photography, LLC - booth 4A
• Murals Your Way - booth 111
• PI Fine Art - booth 634
• Sky Factory (The) - booth 1215
• Skyline Art Company - booth 408
• Skyline Design - booth 821
• Spellman Brady & Company - booth 615

The conference is from November 8th to the 11th. It is being held at the Gaylord National in Washington DC. To learn more about the conference, the website is: www.HCD08.com

The Guild Sourcebook, Volume 23

Yesterday the UPS truck showed up with a box containing the latest edition of the Guild Sourcebook of Architectural and Interior Art. This is now Volume 23.

The book is a rich visual reference for those seeking art for healthcare. This year the book features 11 artists that are "Moving Toward Green". I'm happy to say that they asked me to be one of those artists (see p. 250).

To learn more about The Guild Sourcebooks, I interviewed Jenna Brandt in May 2007:

What is unique about your service?

The Guild represents more than 1,200 top artists working in media from glass, sculpture, and prints to furniture, lighting, and jewelry. The Guild Sourcebooks offer a professional and comprehensive marketing package to artists while working to connect the design trade with professional artists and their work. Our Sourcebooks have resulted in thousands of new art commissions for public and private spaces.

How are artists selected for inclusion?

Artists either contact The Guild or The Guild contacts artist about participation in The Guild Sourcebooks. Once an artist has made the decision to participate, a space reservation is made. All artists are then juried into the Sourcebooks based both on quality of artwork and photography. Our jury is comprised of design and art professionals as well as The Guild’s design, production, marketing, and trade professional relations staff members.

Do you have a sense of what percentage of your readers are involved with HealthCare Design?

We have a large number of interior designers, architects, and art consultants who work in healthcare design.  We find that these professionals are interested in both of our books - The Guild Sourcebook of Architectural & Interior Art for public areas, both indoor and out; and The Guild Sourcebook of Residential Art for smaller-scale work for patient rooms and other private areas.

How many copies are printed?

10,000 copies are distributed annually to a select list of North American architects, interior designers, art consultants, public art administrators, landscape architects, liturgical consultants, and other design professionals. This publication showcases site-specific architectural and interior artworks for public, corporate, healthcare, hospitality, and liturgical spaces.

The Guild Sourcebook of Architectural & Interior Art Published each fall since 1985

How many artists are represented?

On average, about 250 artists are represented in each publication.

If someone isn't getting the "book" now, how could they request it?

To register as a Design Professional visit:
www.guild.com/servlet/Guild/AuthenticateDesignPros

Registering as a Design Professional with The Guild is FREE, and allows password-protected access to portions of our website specifically for design professionals. Benefits of registration include:

• Annual editions of Guild Sourcebooks
• Exclusive design professional discount of 15% on all purchases made at www.artfulhome.com
• Direct email access to hundreds of Guild artists
• “Post-a-Project” for instant broadcast of project opportunities directly to Guild artists

 Is there a website that shows the artists?

All current Sourcebook artists are online.  You can view both The Guild Sourcebook of Architectural & Interior Art and The Guild Sourcebook of Residential Art page-for-page in Guild's Custom Design Center at www.guild.com/cdc.

For artists who might be interested in receiving more information. you can contact:
Jenna Brandt
Guild Sourcebooks

The Guild, Inc.
Toll Free: 800.930.1856
jbrandt@guild.com
www.guild.com/cdc

New Journal: World Health Design

July 2008 Cover of "Design for Health" CLICK TO SEE LARGER IMAGE

World Health Design (WHD) is a new journal published by The International Academy for Design and Health. To learn more about it I interviewed Marc Sansom, the Marketing and Communications Director by email. Marc is based Essex, England.

Is there a plan to have articles about the use of Art in HealthCare?

Art in healthcare is a hugely important topic, and often underestimated by decision-makers in respect of its contribution to the health and wellbeing of patients, staff and families in the healthcare environment. We will be providing coverage of this key topic in WHD, but also hope to work with partners on supplement reports and publishing projects to promote the research and practice being done in the field.

Who is the intended audience?

Design & Health is a global knowledge community with an international interdisciplinary network of health planners, architects, designers, engineers, health managers, clinicians, nurses, health scientists, psychologists, constructors and industrialists working in research and practice in government, academia and business. The audience of WHD reflects the make-up of this network.

If someone wanted to subscribe, how do they sign up? What does it cost?

Subscription offers are available for both individuals and teams across one or two years and offer great value for money. To subscribe, either download a subscription form from www.designandhealth.com or
e-mail marc@designandhealth.com for a form.

How often does it come out?

World Health Design is published four times a year, but we hope to publish bimonthly in 2010.

The second issue is just going to press, is that right?

The second issue has been published and distributed. The third issue goes to press in October.

How many different countries is it being mailed to?

The readership is truly global and coverage is provided across all the major continents of the world in both the developed and developing world.

What is the website for the magazine?

Information on the magazine is available at the web site for the International Academy for Design & Health: www.designandhealth.com

We are, however, also in development of a new, modern and interactive web site platform for both World Health Design and the International Academy for Design & Health, which we hope will be launched by the end of September.

Anything else you would like to say about this new Journal?

World Health Design is the most exciting publishing project in the field in its unique attempt to bridge the gap between research and practice to an interdisciplinary audience at an international level, and we welcome anyone who wishes to support our ambitions, either as contributors or through advertising and sponsorship to join us in achieving this ambition.

Interview with Joan Swenson

Last week I had a phone conversation with Joan Swenson of Artscape. Artscape is a HealthCare Art Consulting company.

Tell me a little about Artscape.

We started as a HealthCare Art Consulting firm in Philadelphia in 1981. Most of our jobs have been in the Northeast but we are looking at expanding. We have 10 people on staff and work out of an 8,000 square-foot warehouse. In addition to Art Consulting we also have a full-service frame shop.

What percentage of your work is Healthcare.

80% , we also do some corporate work.

What are your thoughts on Evidence-based Art?

A hospital is an organic entity with a personality. Our job is to draw that out of our clients and to make that personality come alive through art.  In one way that expression of personality can be used for branding. In a more meaningful way the art should reflect hospitals as Sacred Places. I say, "Sacred Places" because hospitals are where people are born and die. We are at our most vulnerable when we are in hospitals, so the art needs to respect the depth of that experience for both staff and patient families.

My biggest concern is that evidence-based art oversimplifies the complexity of the selection of artwork programs. Hospitals are very complex. Artwork must be selected that considers the complexity of Hospital spaces as well as their persona.

Let me make an analogy. Is it good to eat only vegetables or only protein? Of course not. In the same sense, is it good to show people only images of nature?

I remember once that you told me you enjoyed Chemistry in High School but decided to go into Interior Design. What was your path to becoming an Art Consultant?

When I graduated from High School in 1971 I was doing very well academically, I loved chemistry, loved singing and science; I was in the National Honor Society.  But rather than encourage me to pursue a career in science or medicine, the guidance counselor encouraged me to go into Design.

Why?

She said “You should be a Designer since you wear such cool clothing.” So I started at Boston University and studied Fine and Applied Arts. My focus was on Music and Psychology. Combining them in a career (such as music therapy) was not an option then. My mother discouraged me from going into music, telling me that “it was a hard row to hoe”; so I followed my next love which was Design.

At that time about 60% of the Architects in Boston were unemployed, so instead of pursing Architecture, I got an MFA in Interior Design. As a college student, I got  a job with “Art For Industry” an art leasing company. It was wonderful work. I found that I really liked the art part of the work. Then I got an Internship working in the Galleries at Lincoln Center. I was sold. I loved working with art. I loved the art & I loved the people.

In 1976 I was floating in a pool at my brothers in North Carolina and an idea came to me. I realized I wanted to create a national art leasing company and I wanted to call it Artscape. In 1978 we moved to Philadelphia and I got a job managing an art gallery that had a frame shop. That is where I learned about framing.

In 1981 I started Artscape. Right from the beginning we did healthcare. My second job was to provide art for an 11-story hospital. This was before art was common in hospitals.  Through word-of-mouth the business took off.

I have had other side businesses over the years, but the core work that I have done for the last 27-years is to be an art consultant for HealthCare.

For more information:
www.artscapeusa.com
Joan Y. Swenson, President
112 Keystone Drive
Montgomeryville PA 18936
215.283.0800

Health Environment Art Services

Front desk at Health Environment Art Services's new office

I first met Denise Rippinger at the HealthCare Design Conference in 2005 in Scottsdale. I was pretty inexperienced at providing art for hospitals at that point. She was kind enough to introduce me to people and explain what she did as an art consultant. Recently she has moved to a new office, so I thought it would be a good time to call her to find out what was going on.

Tell me about Health Environment Art Services. How long have you been in business?

This year is our 20th anniversary of being in business.  I started the first company "Corporate Artworks Ltd" in 1988.  Coming from a business background, having a love and passion for art as well as being an artist is what gave me the idea to start this business.  If you recall, in the early 80's art did not yet play a big part in the office environment or hospitals.  

In the beginning all of my clients were corporate offices and then gradually I started getting requests to improve healthcare environments.  It seemed like a natural thing to do and I found that it gave me great pleasure to have an audience that not only enjoyed the art but that gave art a deeper meaning and purpose.

How many people work there?

Currently we have 21 people on staff and this is our third facility due to growth.  In 2003 we officially started a new company called "Health Environment Art Services". Although we had been placing artwork in hospitals and healthcare environments for many years, the stigma of "Corporate" did not give us the credibility that we deserved.

I understand you have recently moved. Tell me about your new place.

Our facility has a beautiful showroom, and great areas set up specifically for our art consultants to design out projects.  We also have office space, frame styling, frame shop, shipping and receiving.  It is quite a busy operation with anywhere from 30 to 50 jobs going on at the same time. Our new facility houses both companies.

Since you are based in Chicago, do you work primarily in the Upper Midwest?

We work with clients nationwide. 

Earlier you mentioned your "Creative Solutions Team", can you tell me a bit about that?

We pride ourselves in going to a much higher levels of creating healing environments that are unique.  We have formed a "Creative Solutions Team" in essence a brain storming team made up of very experienced art consultants, interior designers, art degree graduates and artists. It allows everyone to express their creative ideas for a specific project and as a team we expand on those ideas. It's a great thing for our clients because they know that their space is going to be special.

What are your thoughts on Evidence-based Art ?

I am often asked what my thoughts are about evidence-based art.  This is a tough question because I feel like this has become an industry buzz phrase.

In reality what might be comforting or distracting to one person could be the total opposite to another.  Ethnicity, age, demographics, and religion are just a few elements that can throw a wrench into the evidence-based philosophy.  What works for some doesn't work for all. 

I think that every hospital needs to be looked at individually and the artwork be based specifically on its patient population.  This is not to throw research out the window, but to use common sense.  Whether it is evidence-based or not, I personally think that nature is the source for all healing

To learn more:
Denise  Rippinger - President
Health Environment Art Services
www.healtheart.com
76 West Seegers Road
Arlington Heights IL 60005-3917
(847) 843-3636

Evidence-based Design Consultant

Where can you turn for help if you are a Art Consultant, Design Firm or Hospital that wants to explore how to use Evidence-based Design? A logical first stop is the Center for Health Design. They are a leader in the field and have been referenced many times on this blog.

But what if you wanted to work with an individual consultant and you didn't have a Ph.D. researcher that specializes in Evidence-based Design on your staff. Where do you turn? One option would be to work with Dr. Debra Harris at RAD Consulting. I called her this week at her office in Austin to ask her a few questions:

Tell me about your new firm,  RAD Consultants. What do you do and who do you do it for?

We do two things:

• Consulting services for Evidence-based Design

• HealthCare Design, primarily Interior Design

Where did you get the name RAD Consulting?

RAD is short for "Research and Design" that is what we specialize in.

What background do you have in this field?

I have a Ph.D. in Architecture from Texas A&M where I learned Evidence-based Design from the pioneers in the field.

I have 25-years of practical experience in HealthCare design and 16-years of experience in applied HealthCare research.

What kind of projects have you worked on?

A key area of focus has been patient safety and infection control. I have worked on everything from testing flooring options in patient environments to reducing infections in Neonatal Intensive Care Units.

In what way have you be involved with art for HealthCare projects?

We have worked on researching how to use art to help with Wayfinding and as positive distractions. We could help hospitals conduct research to measure the impact of art on their patients and family.

If you are working with an Architectural Firm, Design firm or Art Consulting firm, what specific consulting services could you offer them?

We could help them:

• Learn how to formally incorporate Evidence-based Design ideas into their Design Process

• Develop procedures and protocols to document Evidence-based Design projects.

• Help clarify research goals and objectives

To learn more, the Website is: www.rad-consultants.com

Debra Harris, Ph.D., AAHID
President
RAD Consultants
7923 Ridgeline North
Austin, TX  78731
512.853.9138