Photos for Health: How It Began
One meeting with the leaders at the Methodist Health Foundation in Indianapolis became the birth of Photos for Health. Our base of experience ranged from art and design consulting in New York City to a business background in art and active roles in the arts community, university credentials of a BA in Art History and two decades of comprehensive experience in the art world ranging from Sotheby’s auction houses in New York and Toronto to directing local art galleries, working at a non profit art center in Atlanta, building and curating private art collections in New York, commissioning original art installations in Los Angeles, serving in honorary positions and supporting leading art museums in the United States and Canada. We were honored to have been consulted regarding the art program for Methodist Health Foundation/Clarian Health/Indiana University and Riley which consisted of nearly two million square feet of new construction spanning several buildings including Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Riley Hospital for Children Simon Family Tower, Clarian Arnett, and Fairbanks Hall Clarian Education and Resource Center. The CEO, a true visionary, was seeking an art program relevant to Methodist’s purpose and place.
The goal was to create an art program that was meaningful, true to Methodist/Clarian core values and reflective of the mission-critical involvement in the health and vitality of the those who are cared for and served. It became clear that the art program should not come from a unilateral vision — but needed to embrace the people that would be in the space — the doctors, nurses, and caregivers who dedicate their lives to helping others, the patients and their families who need the expertise and care of the healthcare professionals, the visitors and volunteers, the generous supporters and patrons, the hospital staff, and the researchers and scientists who are continuously seeking cures. In two words — The Community. The new environment called for inclusion and demanded artwork that would have a positive effect on all who enter the space. As private art consultants, it struck us that this project could impact thousands of people in a positive way. It wasn’t just about making the vast spaces pretty, it was about involving the community and bringing their humanity and compassion into the space.
There would be no posters, no stock images, no impersonal graphics that vaguely match the wall color, but instead we would create an original collection of photographic images that capture the healing natural beauty from around the world. A new vision was born. A vision of a vast array of magnificent photos contributed by individuals in The Community who volunteered to help create a healing environment. The result is a collective tribute, a multi-lateral perspective that has a common bond of caring for others — a thorough line of humanity. Photos for Health was born.
Patients, staff and community members were invited to submit photos to be considered for placement in the collections. The energy, excitement and involvement proliferated. Thousands of photos were uploaded from people and places all over the world. The new healthcare facilities: a children’s hospital, a cancer center, a comprehensive hospital, and a university resource and research center would be linked by the exquisite expressions of the natural world, and distinguished by appropriate themes based on the specific needs and sensitivities of those who are cared for and inhabit the spaces. Doctors, nurses, patients, family members, cancer survivors, staff members, community members — the web grew quickly. Photos for Health began evaluating, sorting and selecting the images into unique curated collections, based on research about subject matter, elements, and compositions that would achieve the most optimal result for those who can benefit from the artwork.
Individuals who submitted images that were chosen for the project were contacted and invited to attend an opening. Rather than simple RSVPs, we were met with an outpouring of excitement, shared experiences, heartfelt stories, and reasons why they were moved to submit photos. Images were dedicated to cancer survivors and heroic children who have battled diseases. Humanity extended into the project with beauty and grace. Every photo possessed compassion in the human experience. Not only was the immediate community excited to hear about their images being chosen, others traveled from places such as New York and Oklahoma to see them in context, and experience the power the images have to bring a sense of peace and joy and well being to others. Contributors brought their families and proudly took photos in front of their photos — It was incredible, and at that moment, we this journey would be continued.
The talent and beauty is abundant and the spirit is unequivocally life-affirming. A project of such scale and aspiration has the ability and opportunity to inspire an unforgettable essence of healing.
We look forward to learning about your project.
Very sincerely,
Jacqueline Buckingham Anderson
Founder & CEO
