Henry Ford Macomb partners with art center
Goal is to create healing environment
Calling all artists!
Henry Ford Health has partnered with the Anton Art Center in Mount Clemens to create an innovative, healing environment at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in Clinton Township, which has created an opportunity for local artists.
“The patient experience is more than what happens inside our clinics; it begins the moment someone steps through our doors,” said Megan Winkel, healing arts program manager and curator of arts at Henry Ford Health. “Artwork has the ability to reduce feelings of anxiety, and can provide opportunities for distraction and expanding the imagination.”
Phil Gilchrist concurred. “Art can provide benefits to healthcare outcomes, and the hospital’s level of attention to artwork procurement recognizes the value the arts can play in a hospital setting,” said Gilchrist, executive director of the Anton Art Center. “Artwork on display makes a space more welcoming to patients, visitors and staff, and creates an environment that can make people feel more at ease.”
As part of the project local and regional artists will have the opportunity to sell and exhibit their artwork.
The submission process is now under way. Those interested in participating, who are 18 and over, may submit up to five works of art through an open artist submission process. There is no entry fee.
Selected works will also be purchased for the Henry Ford Health art collection and displayed in Henry Ford Macomb Hospital’s new patient tower when it opens later this year.
“Henry Ford Macomb Hospital is demonstrating a very strong commitment not just to art in healing environments, but to local artists: this program is a rare opportunity for artists to have their work purchased to help build a collection at a major healthcare institution,” Gilchrist said. “Supporting local artists through artwork purchase is a critical way to help build the arts community and ensure that creative careers are sustainable in Macomb County.”
The deadline to submit work is Feb. 20.