University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics' pioneering vision of hospital art impacts healing
The National Endowment of the Arts lists UIHC as one of the best examples of a hospital art collection in the country.
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics' pioneering vision of hospital art impacts healing The National Endowment of the Arts lists UIHC as one of the best examples of a hospital art collection in the country. Check out this story on desmoinesregister.com: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/life/2019/09/26/university-iowa-hospitals-and-clinics-vision-art-impacts-healing/2375028001/
Jon Darsee, Special to the Register Published 10:32 a.m. CT Sept. 26, 2019 | Updated 10:38 a.m. CT Sept. 26, 2019
Photos: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Project Art collection
Jon Darsee and UIHC Project Art Director Bruce Scherting look at Barbara "Bebe" Keith's "Kalaidoscopes" (cq) mixed media mosaic art piece in a hallway, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the the 12th floor of the Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
A detail of Jafar Mogadam's "Children of the World" ceramic tile art piece, that features the outline of the state of Iowa in the center, hangs in a hallway, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Deborah Butterfiel's bronze horses, "Indelible" and "Midday" and, are pictured along the entrance to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Amy Genser's "Slithering Snakeskin," "Moss Octopus," and "Urchin Underbelly," a three piece paper and acyclic art piece mounted on board, is pictured in a hallway, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the the 12th floor of the Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
John Curry Stewart's "Valley of Wisconsin" hangs in a hallway on the third floor above a drinking fountain, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
A detail shows the words, "Peace," "Hope," and "Heart" in Barbara "Bebe" Keith's "Kalaidoscopes" (cq) mixed media mosaics art piece, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the the 12th floor of the Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Deborah Butterfield's bronze horses, "Midday" and "Indelible" nicknamed Bones and Drift by patients, are pictured along the entrance to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
A detail of Amy Genser's "Confluence" paper and acyclic art piece inspired by the Iowa River is pictured, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Deborah Butterfield's bronze horses, "Midday" is pictured along the entrance to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Rosalie Seek's "Cascade Dream Garden" seagrass and cotton is pictured, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Brett Kern's "Brachiosaurus" and "Stegosaurus" ceramic art pieces are displayed in a second floor elevator lobby, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Brooke Golightly's "Leave It All Behind" art piece hangs in a hallway, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the the 12th floor of the Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Jon Darsee, left, and UIHC Project Art Director Bruce Scherting discuss Brooke Golightly's "Taking Heart of All That We Are" art piece in a hallway, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the the 12th floor of the Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
A view of the Tigerhawk branded water tower and a portion of the north end zone in Kinnick Stadium are seen from a hallway facing west, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the the 12th floor of the Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Barbara "Bebe" Keith's "Kalaidoscopes" (cq) mixed media mosaics art piece hangs, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the the 12th floor of the Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
A detail shows a heart shape in Barbara "Bebe" Keith's "Kalaidoscopes" (cq) mixed media mosaics art piece, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the the 12th floor of the Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
A detail of Barbara "Bebe" Keith's "Kalaidoscopes" (cq) mixed media mosaics art piece, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the the 12th floor of the Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
A reflection through Barbara "Bebe" Keith's "Kalaidoscopes" (cq) mixed media mosaics art piece, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the the 12th floor of the Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Juane Quick-To-See Smith's "Ode to Chief Seattle" print on paper is pictured, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the the 12th floor of the Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Ellen Lanyon's "The Elements" lithograph hangs near an elevator lobby on the first floor, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Barbara Keith's "Bear" and "Llama" paper mosaic art pieces hang in a hallway, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
"Mesa Verde Bowl" an artifact from the Anasazi Native American tribe is pictured in a third floor hallway, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Jafar Mogadam's "Children of the World" ceramic tile art piece, that features the outline of the state of Iowa in the center, hangs in a hallway, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
A large bank of mirrors reflects into a hallway, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Steve Hansen's "Gothic Silo" ceramic art piece is pictured in the first floor lobby, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Robert Lipnik's "Mountains of Iowa" ceramic pieces is pictured on the third floor, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
A series of blown glass art pieces are displayed in a hallway facing a courtyard, with Jose Chardeit's "Zubra" a 1998 blown and cast glass piece at left, are pictured, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
A detail of Ellen Lanyon's "The Elements" lithograph hangs near an elevator lobby on the first floor, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Suzie Poweshiek's "Woman's Beaded Robe," a beaded textile, is pictured in a hallway on the third floor, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
"Mesa Verde Mug," "Mesa Verde Bowl" a black and white clay piece, and "Mesa Verde Mug" from the Anasazi Native American tribe are estimated to have been made between 1100-1300 A.D., Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
When my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, I spent a lot of time at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC). There was chemo to shrink her tumors, surgery, an unexpected visit to the intensive care unit, stints in a rehab facility, then a month to heal before more rounds of chemo. One of the bright spots — besides the nursing staff and oncology surgeon Dr. David Bender — was the hospital art collection.
Art is a standard fixture in hospitals today, but few people realize that the movement to create hospital collections started at the University of Iowa. Based on the vision of then-hospital CEO John W. Colloton, the seeds of what became Project Art were sown in 1975 when he asked Joyce Summerwill to explore the idea of transforming the hospital's green hallways by using art to "expand the healing mission and to humanize the hospital experience."
The National Endowment of the Arts lists UIHC as one of the best examples of a hospital art collection in the country. Summerwill became Project Art's Founding Director and later spread this vision by helping 26 other university teaching hospitals in America follow Iowa's example to create their own programs. Today hospitals around the world employ curators to collect and consider art a fundamental aspect of their mission.
Jon Darsee and UIHC Project Art Director Bruce Scherting look at Barbara "Bebe" Keith's "Kalaidoscopes" (cq) mixed media mosaic art piece in a hallway, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the the 12th floor of the Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen)
My mother sometimes commented on the art she passed on the way to appointments. While waiting to have a CAT scan, she noted how relaxed the art made her feel. During recovery, I used art as a motivator, "Hey mom, let's see if you can walk all the way to that John Stewart Curry lithograph." As much as she may have appreciated viewing art during her stay, it was fundamental to getting me through her cancer odyssey.
"If an art installation gets a patient out of his room or paintings take a person's mind off their pain and lowers their stress levels, the art isn't just decorative anymore. It's part of the entire care model," says Dr. Lisa Harris, CEO of Eskenazi Health Center in Indianapolis, an affiliate of Indiana School of Medicine and another institution devoted to promote healing through art.
Current Project Art Director Bruce Scherting says that art is collected with an eye for where it will be displayed and how it might impact those passing by. Some hallways display multiple works sharing a common theme by the same artist. Though people routinely stop and gaze, the hospital is a busy place; the art is often displayed with this in mind — to be viewed as you move or "to draw you down a corridor," said Scherting, himself an artist whose career stops include the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and the University of Kansas. Scherting's own artwork explores the intersection between health and nature.
John Curry Stewart's "Valley of Wisconsin" hangs in a hallway on the third floor above a drinking fountain, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen)
My family comes from stoic, Iowa stock. We aren't known for our emotional intimacy, and physical displays of affection are rare. I struggled to express my feelings or the raw intimacy one encounters when navigating the discord of cancer. At her bedside, I had the urge to break up that intensity by finding excuses to leave mom's side. Exploring the art on the nearby walls became my outlet. I felt guilty about this, haunted by memories of my most egregious acts of teenage rebellion; that I could enjoy a sense of discovery and heightened curiosity at the most precarious moment of my mother's life felt wrong.
But I've come to realize that viewing the art served as a coping mechanism. It tempered the situation's gravity and gave me a chance to regroup. It also served to relieve the boredom of constant waiting and, pardon the pun, gave me a shot in the arm. Even at her most dicey moments when I felt in a daze coming and going at all hours, I could find solace absorbing art.
Scherting calls this "meaningful diversion." He said my experience is common; he hears similar stories from patients and family members about how the momentary relief from the clinical reality served to help tamp down the stress. Pausing for even a few seconds to focus on a picture or work of sculpture can act as a salve to soothe emotional fatigue.
Jafar Mogadam's "Children of the World" ceramic tile art piece, that features the outline of the state of Iowa in the center, hangs in a hallway, Wednesday, Sept., 25, 2019, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen)
"We hope the art serves as an opportunity to focus on something other than the immediate challenges folks typically face in the hospital," said Scherting, who positions artwork knowing it might be passed by again and again. He seeks complex pieces because art appeals differently the more one sees it. He hopes it will promote a dialogue between people, create a sense of self-discovery or serve as a meditation.
If you happen to be an art fan like me, you will be thrilled to stumble across work by Alexander Calder, Robert Rauschenberg, or a Dale Chihuly glass sculpture. Of course, the hospital isn't a museum so don't expect to see famous artists everywhere you look, yet according to Scherting, UIHC owns more than 5,000 original works of art. The collection is diverse, with a focus on student and local Iowa artists, but regional, national and international artists are also represented. Because the collection hangs in a functional public space, it largely consists of more durable art — prints, lithography, tapestries, ceramics and plenty of sculpture.
From the archive: University of Iowa Museum of Art
In this August, 6, 2008 file photo, then-University of Iowa Museum of Art interim director Pamela White explains the extent of the damage the museum received because flooding in the summer of 2008. Most of the museum's collection was moved to an undisclosed location in Chicago. John D. Freyer's sculpture, "Big Boy" (center), was not evacuated. Museum officials said the flood-waters never reached the sculpture, which used to stand atop the roof of a Big Boy restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Matthew Holst/Iowa City Press-Citizen
In this August 2001 file photo, Gary White, UI Facilities Service Group glass shop employee, installs panels of glass in a storage case for African Art at the UI Museum of Art. Deb Barber/Iowa City Press-Citizen
In this August 2001 file photo, the newly remodeled University of Iowa Museum of Art now features a lounge and coffee bar area. It will serve hot and cold beverages and snacks when the museum reopens Friday, Aug. 31, 2001. Deb Barber/Iowa City Press-Citizen
In this August 2001 file photo, this 1959 oil on paper by Lester Johnson, "Head," is part of the University of Iowa Museum of Art's permanent collection that was on display during the museum's reopening. Deb Barber/Iowa City Press-Citizen
In this August 2001 file photo, a University of Iowa employee works on an exhibit space last week at the University of Iowa Museum of Art. Deb Barber/Iowa City Press-Citizen
This March 25, 1971 Press-Citizen newspaper clipping, originally published with the caption, "'IOWA VIEW' - This upside-down view was created by New York artist Ted Victoria in a darkened gallery of the University of Iowa Museum of Art overlooking the Iowa River," it read. "To focus the view from across the river on the round screens six and a half feet in diameter, Victoria placed a large lens in the center of the gallery window (behind the screen at the right), covered the rest of the window with black plastic, and positioned the screens at the distance required by the lens. Titled "Iowa View" and commissioned for the UI Museum, the unusual work will be shown during Accessions: 1970-71, an exhibition of recently acquired art works which will open May 8 at the museum." Press-Citizen
Special to the Press-Citizen. March 2009. Art movers carry Pablo Picasso's "Flower Vase on a Table," 1942, oil on canvas, 38 1/16" x 51 1/4". University of Iowa Museum of Art, gift of Owen and Leone Elliot, 1968.39, through the Figge galleries on Tuesday, March 17, 2009. Most of the works in the "A Legacy for Iowa..." exhibition were moved into the Figge that day. Special to the Press-Citizen
Steven Erickson, left, Nathan Popp and Kathleen Edwards, all with the University of Iowa Museum of Art, stand amid items from the UI art collection on the fourth floor of Figge Art Museum in Davenport. The museum is providing storage and display space for the art, which was displaced when the museum in Iowa City flooded last summer. Harry Baumert/The Register
Steven Erickson, with the UI Museum of Art, climbs a ladder at Figge Art Museum in Davenport to adjust a light aimed at "Mural", by Jackson Pollock, part of the University's collection being displayed at the Figge. Harry Baumert/The Register
Restoration workers remove debris and clean outside of the Museum of Art on the University of Iowa Campus Wednesday, July 2, 2008. CHRISTOPHER GANNON/THE REGISTER
A restoration worker throws flood debris on a pile outside of the Museum of Art on the University of Iowa Campus Wednesday, July 2, 2008. (Christopher Gannon/The Register) CHRISTOPHER GANNON/THE REGISTER
Floodwaters from the Iowa River surround the University of Iowa's art building, bottom left, and the Museum of Art, center right, in Iowa City June 16, 2008. Hannah van Zutphen-Kann, AP
University of Iowa art major student, Chris Merkle - Carrasco, age 25, formerly of Newton, explained African Art on display from the Iowa Museum of Art on display at the University of Iowa booth at the Varied Industries Building at the Iowa State Fair on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 18, 2010. BILL NEIBERGALL/THE REGISTER
Lewis Payne, left and Tyler Hershberger, with Slabach Construction of Kalona, work with fiber optic cable outside the University of Iowa Museum of Art, background, as flood repairs continue on Wednesday. Officials said that music students will use the the building for practice space. HARRY BAUMERT/DES MOINES REGISTER
A large "Big Boy" statue which was part of an MFA project remains covered in plastic on the main floor of the UI Museum of Art, Wednesday, August 6, 2008, on the University of Iowa campus, in Iowa City, Iowa. Press-Citizen / Matthew Holst, Press-Citizen / Matthew Holst
A placard for a piece of art remains on the wall during cleanup efforts at the UI Museum of Art, Wednesday, August 6, 2008, on the University of Iowa campus, in Iowa City, Iowa. Press-Citizen / Matthew Holst, Press-Citizen / Matthew Holst
PC photo by Dan Williamson. 8-12-09. University of Iowa Museum of Art Prepator (cq) Steve Erickson, left, and Marketing and Media Manager Maggie Anderson sort through packing material after helping to set up artwork for the new UIMA @ IMU art gallery in the Richey Ballroom at the Iowa Memorial Union on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, in Iowa City. Press-Citizen / Dan Williamson, Press-Citizen / Dan Williamson
PC photo by Dan Williamson. 8-12-09. This classroom space will be part of the University of Iowa Museum of Art's UIMA @ IMU art gallery space in the Richey Ballroom at the Iowa Memorial Union on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, in Iowa City. Press-Citizen / Dan Williamson, Press-Citizen / Dan Williamson
Bobcats excavate the ground around the sidewalk project between the flooded UI Art Museum and Art School, along the Iowa river, Thursday, July 22, 2010, in Iowa City, Iowa. Press-Citizen / Matthew Holst, Press-Citizen / Matthew Holst
The University of Iowa Museum of Art set an all-time museum record for attendance at events, programs and exhibitions during the 2013-14 academic year. A major contribution to this total was the highly successful Jackson Pollock "Mural" exhibition at the Getty in Los Angeles. Des Moines Register file photo
PC photo by Dan Williamson. 8-12-09. A few pieces of art are on display in the University of Iowa Museum of Art's new UIMA @ IMU art gallery in the Richey Ballroom of the Iowa Memorial Union on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, in Iowa City. Press-Citizen / Dan Williamson, Press-Citizen / Dan Williamson
PC photo by Dan Williamson. 8-12-09. University of Iowa Museum of Art Manager of Exhibitions and Collections Jeff Martin sets up a temperature and humidity monitor in the new UIMA @ IMU art gallery in the Richey Ballroom of the Iowa Memorial Union on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, in Iowa City. Press-Citizen / Dan Williamson, Press-Citizen / Dan Williamson
UI sophomore William Lowe, of Cleveland, OH, looks at pieces of art as his Arts of Africa class tours the UI Museum of Art's space contained in the former Richey Ballroom at the Iowa Memorial Union, during a tour of temporary music and art facilities displaced by last year's flood, Thursday , September 3, 2009, on the University of Iowa campus, in Iowa City, Iowa. Press-Citizen / Matthew Holst, Matthew Holst
UI students in an Arts of Africa class tour the UI Museum of Art's space contained in the former Richey Ballroom at the Iowa Memorial Union, Thursday , September 3, 2009, on the University of Iowa campus, in Iowa City, Iowa. Press-Citizen / Matthew Holst, Matthew Holst
The UI Museum of Art's space contained in the former Richey Ballroom at the Iowa Memorial Union, as seen during a tour of temporary music and art facilities displaced by last year's flood, Thursday , September 3, 2009, on the University of Iowa campus, in Iowa City, Iowa. Press-Citizen / Matthew Holst, Matthew Holst
UI sophomore Lyndsey Haxmeier, of Bellevue, Iowa, looks at pieces of art as her Arts of Africa class tours the UI Museum of Art's space contained in the former Richey Ballroom at the Iowa Memorial Union, during a tour of temporary music and art facilities displaced by last year's flood, Thursday , September 3, 2009, on the University of Iowa campus, in Iowa City, Iowa. Press-Citizen / Matthew Holst, Matthew Holst
Interim Director of the UI Museum of Art Pam White discusses flood damage and recovery to the building, Wednesday, August 6, 2008, on the University of Iowa campus, in Iowa City, Iowa. Press-Citizen / Matthew Holst, Press-Citizen / Matthew Holst
- UI Facilities Service Group - Glass Shop employees, Gary White and Joe Walsh, take direction from museum Installation Coordinator James Lindell while working on a storage case for African Art at the UI Museum of Art on Aug. 22, 2001. Deb Barber, Iowa City Press-Citizen;Yes
Onlookers view the rising floodwater surrounding the University of Iowa Museum of Art on Riverside Drive on June 15, 2008. Press-Citizen / Matthew Holst, Press-Citizen file photo
A part of Jackson Pollock's "Mural," owned by the University of Iowa Museum of Art, is shown. Rodney White/The Register, Rodney White/The Register
People climb on top of a building on campus in June 2008 to look out across the Iowa River at the flooded University of Iowa Museum of Art. Des Moines Register file photo
The former University of Iowa Museum of Art building, built along the river in 1969 and containing more than 12,000 pieces valued at nearly $500 million in June 2008, was home to one of the largest modern university art museums in the U.S. UI was able to evacuate the artwork before the floodwater arrived, and in the years since has housed the collection at the Iowa Memorial Union and at the Figge Museum in Davenport. UI and FEMA have been at odds for years over the building. FEMA did not designate the Art Museum's damage to be greater than 50 percent of its value, meaning it will not pay to build a new facility, but UI says it would be unable to secure insurance for the art collection if it moved back to the old building. Press-Citizen file photo
University of Iowa Museum of Art Interim Director Pamela White and Figge Art Museum Executive Director Sean O'Harrow stand in front of Jackson Pollock's "Mural" on Monday, March 16, 2009, after the painting was moved into the Figge Art Museum in Davenport earlier that day. Iowa City Press-Citizen
A skylight shines through an atrium on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, at the Old Museum of Art in Iowa City. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
A staircase between former gallery spaces is seen on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, at the Old Museum of Art in Iowa City. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
A hallway facing east is seen on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, at the Old Museum of Art in Iowa City. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
A faint reminder of floodwaters that seeped into the museum in 2008 is seen on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, at the Old Museum of Art in Iowa City. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Lauren Lessing, Director of the University of Iowa's Stanley Museum of Art, tells of a family who marveled over Deborah Butterfield's bronze horses cast from found objects on the lawn in front of the Stead Family Children's Hospital, saying the sculpture was what got them through.
Those three-dimensional objects, passed repeatedly at odd hours and under various emotional states, grew on me and served to reduce my sense of isolation. As familiar landmarks, they acted like talismans while the images hanging along the corridors spoke to the majesty of the creative spirit and reminded me that we are not alone in our suffering. At times, as we worked our way down hallways, I felt as if the art was cheering us on.
Today mom is 10 months in remission and doing great. We are thankful for the care she received at the University of Iowa and grateful for this collection of art that made the experience less challenging, if not more meaningful. The State of Iowa has a proud history of firsts in the arts. Project Art is one example where a pioneering vision plus courageous execution is helping to heal patients and impact families like mine every single day.
Jon Darsee, a regular Register contributor, was a member of the University of Iowa 1980 Final Four team and a three-year basketball letterman. He now serves as chief innovation officer at the UI.
Jon Darsee (Photo: Kelsey Kremer/The Register)
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