Greetings!
One of the things I admire about the healthcare facilities we work with is the commitment to creating a restorative environment. Every project we have the honor of contributing to has the same common thread - patients feel better when surrounded by a healing environment. Ironically, I find that dedicated healthcare providers and industry professionals (myself included!), tend to forget their own needs for rejuvenation. We're in the business of healthcare because we have a desire to help others. Yet, we often neglect our own care.  I recently returned from a trip to the Bahamas in which I completely unplugged from the world. I abandoned my laptop, cell phone and iPod in exchange for soft ocean breezes, lazy afternoons on the beach and long dinners filled with laughter and conversation. When I returned, I felt like I had received a 120-hour massage! My mind, body and spirit were refreshed and renewed. Normally, after a vacation, I dread the "return to reality," but this time I was recharged and ready to get to work! And, surprisingly, I have been more productive - and more creative. And so I realized that I too need to take time away and connect with nature. What a simple healing tool. Isn't this what we try to create for our patients during recovery? So, as vacation season approaches, I challenge you to make a commitment to your own need for recovery and restoration - whatever that looks like to you. And let me know how it goes - I'm eager to hear about your healing adventures! Sincerely, 
Barbara Harriman, IIDA
President/Creative Director
Distinctive Art Source P.S. Want to send your patients on a virtual healing adventure? Try a digital art program in which healthcare appropriate nature images are displayed on the in-room TV channel. |
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Master Planning: It Works for Art Programs, Too!
 You wouldn't invest in a new patient tower without having a master facility plan for your campus. Savvy healthcare leaders know that master planning is a critical step in the facility planning process. It's the road map required to ensure the hospital is prepared for future development. You've seen the results it yields in terms of capital budget planning, consistency and ensuring both short-term and long-term benefits. The master plan guides the facility leaders to make sound decisions based on a common vision.
So why not take that same concept and apply it to your art program? A well-crafted art program works hand-in-hand with a master facility plan. The mistake some hospital leaders make is in thinking the art program's master planning is a neat little diagram of WHERE art should be placed in each room. While placement is an important element of master planning an art program, it's only one step in the process.
An effective master plan for a healthcare art program is a 5-10 year vision of where and how the hospital plans to continue the art program, taking into consideration all of the exterior and interior spaces. It addresses the inevitable scenario of "how to fund" the art that is not feasible given the constraints construction budget. And it outlines the dynamic elements of the art program that are intended to continue beyond the opening of the newly constructed facility.
A master plan for an art program should include the following components:
- A location hierarchy for art work that outlines the signature art with high visibility, high impact, high dollar
- A suggested art count and specific locations for all possible artwork in each phase of the facility master plan.
- An accurate budget that enables decision makers to select art based on current prices considering the medium, scale and size of each piece.
- A Wish Book containing pre-selected artwork including artist, size, cost and identified location for original art that is not in the current budget. The Wish Book is used to assist the Foundation and provide donors with pre-approved choices of potential art gifts.
- A continuity plan for dynamic art programs such as rotating galleries, NICU graduate portraits or digital art elements to ensure consistency and quality.
We recommend master planning an art program during the initial construction phase to capture the creative energy of the design team and committee. When time elapses between phases, the vision and collective enthusiasm for the project can be lost. By creating a thorough master plan for future artwork, you allow for the staff turnover and diminished excitement without losing sight of the importance of creating a cohesive visual experience for the patient and visitor. You leverage the time, talent and creativity of the current team and set the program up for success in the long term.
Want more information on how to master plan your art program? Download this Free Whitepaper: Three Critical Success Factors in Planning Healthcare Art Programs. For an example of a Distinctive Art Source client that has done an exceptional job at master planning for artwork, take a look at this Case Study of Winchester Medical Center.
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NICoE Receives Multiple Awards
Distinctive Art Source congratulates our friends at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence for an award-winning year! NICoE recently received the following honors and distinctions:
 The National Intrepid Center of Excellence achieved LEED Silver certification under LEED-NC 2.2. LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations is designed to guide and distinguish high-performance commercial and institutional projects that have less of an impact on the environment, are healthier for those who work and/or live in the building, and are more profitable than their conventional counterparts.
NICoE designers at SmithGroup received the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) 2011 Premier Bronze Award for the facility's spectacular interiors.
The NICoE Inpatient Polytrauma and Healing Garden at Walter Reed National Medical Center (Bethesda, Maryland) won an Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) Section Award and has moved on the Regional competition.
To read more about the art program at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, view the project sheet here.
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Children's Opens Paramount Farms Plaza
Kudos to the team at Children's Hospital Central California on the recent opening of Paramount Farms Plaza. Distinctive Art Source had the privilege of working with several local artists to create a dynamic art program for the facility. One of our favorite projects was the creation of the fish mosaic wall (pictured below) designed by the team at The Rainforest Art Project assisted by children at local area camps last summer.
You can see more artwork in this video from Children's.
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Art and Artists of Note
Visit these artists and explore their unique creations.
Robe to Wellness, wearable and hangable art for cancer patients
Charles Strain, bronze sculptor
Wayne Cain, fused glass artist
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DAS Speaking Schedule
Look for Distinctive Art Source at several healthcare conferences this fall! We'll be presenting at the following two events along with clients and our architectural partners and we hope to see you there:
Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo
September 20-22, 2011
Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
Presenting a case study with LakeHealth TriPoint Medical Center and Karlsberger
Healthcare Design 2011
November 13-16, 2011
Nashville, TN
Presenting a case study with Southeast Health, Starizon Studio and PNM Limited Architects
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DAS is SWaM Certified
The Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprise has awarded Distinctive Art Source with SWaM certification signifying our position as a Small, Women and Minority Business. State buyers and private companies searching for SWaM businesses or participants in the federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program, can search geographically with specific commodity codes in the online database at www.DMBE.Virginia.gov.
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In the News:
Distinctive Art Source was honored to be featured in Virginia Business Magazine earlier this year. The article celebrated the arrival of DAS in Fairfax County as the region's premier nationwide healthcare art consulting firm. Read the full article in Virginia Business.
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Conceptualize
Visualize
Realize
Distinctive Art Source is a turnkey art consulting firm working exclusively in healthcare. We guide clients through the process of creating customized patient and evidence-based art programs centered on research, owner, architect and designer input.
Our goals are twofold: to introduce unexpected art options and to involve local artists whenever possible. Distinctive Art Source's architectural background allows us to blend seamlessly into the design process, providing facilities with necessary timelines and budgets to keep projects on schedule and within budget.
Established in 2003, Distinctive Art Source has served a pivotal role in creating patient-based art programs in millions of square feet of hospital space. Distinctive Art Source connects clients with hundreds of artists throughout the country to enable hospitals to conceptualize, visualize and realize the goals of their art programs.
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Stay in Touch!
Phone: (703) 956-1946
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Coming in the Next Issue:
How an Art Program Can Support Your Brand
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