Art for Life
InCommons Collaboration Challenge
Art for Life
A new collaboration which has begun with Samaritan Bethany Foundation (SB) will be based on an ongoing project where local artists and non-profit art organizations are partnering with Olmsted Medical Center (OMC) to place purchased artwork in their public spaces. The concept that art heals is being implemented at OMC and SB. Some of the goals of these projects are to create a therapeutic environment which provides enjoyment, comfort, distraction, along with a sense of community and belonging for all patients, visitors and employees, while encouraging interest in local artists and providing them with increased economic opportunities. This partnership has provided a venue for artists to permanently display their work and has increased their overall visibility in Southeastern Minnesota (SE MN), where opportunities for artists to display or sell their artwork are very limited. Also this part of Minnesota is mostly rural and many residents in this part of the state do not have the resources of money or time to seek out any of the cultural arts. This collaborative network between artists, art organizations, OMC and SB will bring art into the daily lives of the approximately 225,000 individuals per year who visit or live in their facilities. The project with OMC has economically impacted this region by about $40,000 in the past year. A modest idea from one administrator at OMC has become a sustainable reality that led to a new model being created for marketing art, which SB is already using in the process of placing local artwork in their public spaces.
About You
About You
First Name
Andrea
Last Name
Costopoulos RN, MSN
Country
United States, MN
About Your Organization
Organization
Samaritan Bethany Foundation
Organization Website
Organization Phone
507-289-5042
Organization Address
101 7th St. NW Rochester 55901
Organization Country
United States, MN, Olmsted County
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Your Story
Collaboration Title
Art for Life
Country your work focuses on
United States, MN, Olmsted County
Describe your locally-based collaboration and the problem it sought to address
A new collaboration which has begun with Samaritan Bethany Foundation (SB) will be based on an ongoing project where local artists and non-profit art organizations are partnering with Olmsted Medical Center (OMC) to place purchased artwork in their public spaces. The concept that art heals is being implemented at OMC and SB. Some of the goals of these projects are to create a therapeutic environment which provides enjoyment, comfort, distraction, along with a sense of community and belonging for all patients, visitors and employees, while encouraging interest in local artists and providing them with increased economic opportunities. This partnership has provided a venue for artists to permanently display their work and has increased their overall visibility in Southeastern Minnesota (SE MN), where opportunities for artists to display or sell their artwork are very limited. Also this part of Minnesota is mostly rural and many residents in this part of the state do not have the resources of money or time to seek out any of the cultural arts. This collaborative network between artists, art organizations, OMC and SB will bring art into the daily lives of the approximately 225,000 individuals per year who visit or live in their facilities. The project with OMC has economically impacted this region by about $40,000 in the past year. A modest idea from one administrator at OMC has become a sustainable reality that led to a new model being created for marketing art, which SB is already using in the process of placing local artwork in their public spaces.
Tell us about the community in which this collaboration took place
SE MN is a rural farming region with one larger city, Rochester. The individuals who benefit from seeing this artwork are mostly from the lower socioeconomic groups having all of the difficulties related to having fewer resources to live on and some have language barriers. A hard working artist in Minnesota is in the lower socioeconomic group and probably cannot afford to have health insurance.
Issue Selector
Partnership
Who was involved in co-creating or implementing your collaboration (other organizations, leaders, community members, etc.)?
Lois Till-Tarara, VP of Regional & Primary Health Services at OMC was my contact. We successfully wrote grants to receive $20,000 in Art & Cultural Heritage funding. We partnered with the SEMVA Art Gallery, the Lanesboro Art Center, Crossings at Carnegie, the Manorville Art Guild, the Rochester Arts Council and 100 artists. Sharon Tuntland and Jane Belau were involved as community art leaders.
To what extent does your collaboration involve partnerships that are outside or cross traditional organizational or sector boundaries?
Most health care organizations wouldn't have contacted SEMVA, a local cooperative art gallery to improve the quality of their patients' experience. They wouldn't have received art grants at the state and regional level for their project and this is the only time in 17 years that SEMVA has done a project that involved community outreach to other artists. The whole process is new to the region.
Innovation
What makes your locally-based collaboration innovative and unique?
A set of exceptional circumstances made the OMC collaboration possible. A weak economy has made people aware of the implications of buying locally. Using local art instead of poster art was a decision that the OMC Board made to support our local economy, provide a more meaningful experience for the individuals in their 12 clinical facilities and connect themselves and their patients to the community through art. Their use of art, as a part of their overall approach to wellness, was greeted by artists with enthusiasm. Even in a great economy an artist's life is not economically rewarding. I think that this project developed and grew because I was contacted to talk to Lois Till-Tarara, as President of the Board of the SEMVA Art Gallery in Rochester. We were able to be flexible and my approach to life is inclusive. I always want to know about the lives of the people I meet and I want to connect them to each other if there is common ground. Since I believe that at some level everything is interconnected, I chose to include artists who met the criteria of the OMC project. The traditional model would have been for SEMVA to be the sole contact for OMC to buy local artwork from.
Did you take risks in establishing this collaboration? Explain
The risk I took was creating a totally new model for non-traditional marketing of artwork while developing many new relationships with people in a large health care facility. I had to trust that my knowledge base and art network was good enough to be worthy of respect. I became OMC's trusted voice in the art community, while I was asking artists to trust me with their artwork and reputations.
How did this collaboration differ from the normal way of doing your work?
Most artists fend for themselves, including me. When we moved back to Rochester in 1998, I got involved in the arts community, developed relationships and volunteered. I have made art connections and worked in the background for years. What is different now is that my role is very visible and valued in the community. I am uniquely qualified for this kind of art advocacy, as a registered nurse.
Impact
How do you know your collaboration has been effective?
There is significant documentation of the success. OMC has completed patient, employee and artist surveys for the final grant reports to the SE MN Arts Council about what the impact of the projects were. These surveys are available for review. OMC's Open House had 225 attendees to view the artwork. The Post Bulletin and Rochester Magazine (July 2010) have written articles. The "Off 90" programming by KSMQ, public TV, had a segment about this project. The SEMVA Gallery has more visitors and sales. Yesterday OMC received the Business of the Year Award from the Chamber of Commerce for their arts programing with regional artists. The best indicator of success is that Samaritan Bethany wants to replicate the collaboration with artists by placing local artwork in their public spaces.
What progress or impact has been made?
For OMC a modest idea to place a few pieces of local artwork has become a mandate that is completely sustainable. A new building that opens in Fall 2011 will have all local artwork in it. OMC's hospital staff is anxious to buy and place more art. All of OMC's satellite clinics have local artwork. The visual artists have become more valued and visible in Rochester and other SE MN communities.
Next Steps
How would you go about continuing, expanding, or replicating this collaboration?
The replication of the OMC project with SB began in September. SB is now looking at and buying local art for their new building. They will be providing state of the art housing and assistance to 265 individuals who need anything from short term physical therapy to hospice care. Their clients come from rural SE MN. They are an underserved population of a lower socioeconomic group. The first 32 beds open in November. In Spring 2011, 128 beds will open and the last 54 skilled beds open in Fall 2011. All of the art selections will be made very carefully based on the psychological needs of their residents, which are quite different from OMC's patient population. I communicate information to the CEO of SB about artwork they might be interested in and seek out artwork or artists that they have done research on. I coordinate the viewing of artwork, negotiate purchase prices, network and market extensively by e-mail. I will be writing a SEMAC grant in Jan. 2011 with Tom DeRienzo, Director of Development. As the "middle man" I connect people. I am an art advocate with a background in health care, so that more people can view local artwork and our regional economy will benefit.
Describe the current stage of implementation and desired next steps
Thirty pieces of artwork have been purchased by SB for their new building, which will consolidate all of their services into one location. For the Memory Care Unit, which opens in a few weeks, we have determined where art will hang and how large the pieces can be. I will hang the art. The criteria for the artwork to be bought has been outlined. The pieces of artwork need to be larger for elderly individuals who don't see well; at least 18 inches wide and tall with large details. The artwork has to have bright or primary colors with a lot of contrast in the darker and lighter colors. The art has to be soothing and must evoke familiar memories to be a conversation starter. The images need to be familiar to people who have lived in rural SE MN most of their lives. The images have to be realistic, representational or impressionistic. Some of the artwork purchased will stimulate the sensation of touch and may stimulate the senses of hearing or smell. SB is buying art that mentally stimulates the residents and their visitors by evoking the memories they have had of past places or events in their lives. The presence of the art will help these individuals make connections from the past with their present, which is very difficult. Having art hanging also helps these people remember where they are in the building. In the last month administrators from SB have viewed art at The SEMVA Gallery and The Restaurant with me. I have shown them the photographic art of Bill Schmidt and paintings by Barb Ageter. They have commissioned a large stained glass mirror from Nancy Gross. They purchased 5 paintings from Jane Belau and Jane asked Joseph Chase to do a Twins piece for SB. They have PDF files of Denise Dupras's nature photographs and a portfolio of Tom Johnson's watercolors to review. Two artists who make copper sculpture and fountains have been contacted. I have contacted several quilt makers to locate large quilts to cover up 50"x 50" access panels. We are going to look at a woven piece that was commissioned by Mayo Clinic for Charter House. An e-mail has been sent to 70 artists explaining the types of images SB is looking for. This project is just starting, but well on its way to enriching SE MN lives in a way that preserves our artistic heritage and will be experienced many years from now by thousands of individuals from several generations.
| Randall Douglas said: I'm a local photographer in Rochester, MN. The elderly deserve our best respect and care, and that means more than just medical ... about this Competition Entry. - 554 days ago read more > | |
| Andrea Costopoulos said: I have been in communication with 30 regional artists in the last 5 days. I have been to Samaritan Bethany with 2 groups of artwork and ... about this Competition Entry. - 558 days ago read more > | |
| Patricia Dunn-Walker said: This Art for Life initiative would enhance the healing/health atmosphere at Samaritan Bethany for seniors. There is plenty of evidence ... about this Competition Entry. - 560 days ago read more > | |
| Andrea Costopoulos said: This is a great opportunity for artists to network and get to know each other. Normally they work in isolation. about this Competition Entry. - 560 days ago read more > | |
Andrea Costopoulos updated this Competition Entry. - 565 days ago | |
Andrea Costopoulos submitted this idea. - 576 days ago |
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