Open Forum

Hi Everyone! 

I'm writing you from Nemours Estate in Wilmington, DE. We are a very unique property, because we share a campus, a history, and a 501c3 with a pediatric hospital and children's health system. Because of this unique setup, the primary audiences for our Learning Programs department are patients and families. I am trying to collect a list of other cultural organizations that may work directly in a hospital setting. I know that many organizations host well-being programs at their own sites or virtually, however I'm looking specifically for places that go to hospitals or healthcare facilities to do programming or outreach. Or, of any organizations that have strong relationships with a hospital or healthcare system that they regularly interact with (especially if that is a patient/family audience). 

Truly appreciate your feedback and/or leads! Also, I wanted to share with anyone who might be interested in this topic in general that I host a monthly discussion group for working with patients, that's held on Microsoft Teams every 3rd Friday of the month at 11 AM EST. All are welcome to join this networking/sharing session! Coalition for Arts, Heritage & Wellbeing Programming With Patients Discussion Group

Sharing a picture of our beautiful historic gardens, the view for many patients in the Nemours Children's Hospital Delaware. 

Thank you so much! This is a great idea, I will absolutely follow up with AHTA. Appreciate it!

Hi Annie,

A colleague of mine works at the University of Iowa which has an art program within its hospital system.  She would be happy to chat with you and share any helpful details.  Her contact information is below.

Best,

Angela

Anna Villareal

Collections Coordinator, Project Art

anna-villareal@uiowa.edu

319-356-8713

uihc.org/project-art

Thank you so much, Angela. I will absolutely reach out to your colleague; I really appreciate it. 

Thank you! I'd love to connect; I'll send you an email :) 

Good morning, Annie:

We have been working in healthcare for some years in Minnesota (Mayo Clinic).  I'm happy to speak with you and share connections/insights.  

Hi Annie,

I loved your MuseumNext Summit presentation with Ken!  What a true gift to all to have access to Nemours Estate!  I would love to come visit in the spring :)

Over the last 15 years, as an Independent Contractor, I have been facilitating a multi-sensory hands-on creative activity to adults residing in longterm care communities-- assisted living/ memory care, health care, and adult day centers.  I collect and combine a wide range of materials (inspired by nature, art, or simply the world around us) and then present them to my participants in a way that they can create their own scenes or designs in any way that makes sense to them.  Because it is open-ended, this type of activity is accessible to almost anyone.  These sensory tray experiences came about from when I ran a play studio for children that was aesthetically and purposefully designed to entice children and their families to explore and discover.

I have not worked in a pediatric hospital setting but I feel like I could perhaps suggest some ways of bringing in a similar type of programming into the hospital, while connecting it to your gardens.  I would be happy to brainstorm ideas if you would like.

Also, I have a video of materials I chose for a sensory tray experience inspired by a LAVENDER FARM that we have here in VA. that I would be happy to share with you so you have a better sense of what I am talking about.  Feel free to reach out to me at anytime at nicole@trayplay.com.

I could easily see taking the same concept and using your garden spaces as a source of inspiration to create your own sensory tray experiences :)