In hospitals, overwhelming emotions of stress and fear often infect the atmosphere. At Cleveland Clinic, a team of curators, led by senior director Ellen Rudolph, bring diverse contemporary art from all over the world to elevate spaces and aid in the healing process.
“We hear time and time again that the art makes people feel human,” Rudolph said.
The Art Collection offers patients, visitors and caregivers a museum experience within a healthcare setting. With more than 7,000 works of art across 225 Cleveland Clinic locations globally, the artwork is selected to promote healing and create spaces for distraction and contemplation.
Although not an artist herself, Rudolph’s passion for visual art led her to study art history at Northwestern University and eventually receive a master’s degree in art history from Case Western University.
“I learned pretty quickly in college that I wasn’t an artist per se, but in my very first art history class that I took, I realized that I am a visual learner,” Rudolph said. “I discovered that I personally feel better when I am around art and when I’m looking at art.”
Before curating for healthcare spaces, Rudolph curated at galleries and museums in Ohio.
“One of the key differences is that people don’t come to the hospital for the art. In many ways, the art finds them in a moment of need,” Rudolph said. “Even if people aren’t deliberately seeking the art out, it’s there when they need a moment of respite.”
Rudolph and her small team of curators work with artists and galleries locally, nationally and internationally to source the artwork and reflect the many stories and backgrounds represented by those walking through the hospital every day.
“It’s really important for us to reflect the diversity of patients and caregivers through the arts, so that the people, patients and caregivers feel like they are seen and reflected in the artwork on the walls,” Rudolph said.
Whether it’s visiting galleries in New York or attending Art Basel in Miami every year, the curators scan the world for contemporary pieces that emphasize their mission.
When embarking on a project or design, Rudolph and her team make it a priority to connect with the eventual viewers of the space. That could mean a specific department or institute of the hospital like cardiology or oncology.
“We make sure that we understand what the function of that particular space is going to be and what the patient needs are in those locations,” Rudolph said. “Then we tailor the selections to not just the physical space and architecture, but also to the patient’s needs.”
Across their many locations, the Cleveland Clinic aesthetic is the same — white walls and modern furniture. To Rudolph, this plain background represents endless possibilities for design.
“It’s like a wonderful blank canvas for the artwork,” Rudolph said. “It allows the art to be the thing that activates a space.”
For museum curators, it can be hard to predict how people will react to art, and for hospital art curators, that task is even more difficult. What do people want to see during vulnerable, complicated and emotional circumstances?
Beauty.
“There are very beautiful things that are appreciated by many people. Beauty in general is very much appreciated, especially when people are experiencing hardship,” Rudolph said.
Rudolph and her team have found that patients prefer landscapes and nature scenes. This observation is consistent with the theory that people have positive responses to natural environments. Studies show that colors, brightness and vividness draw out pleasure, which can induce a sense of calm within the viewer.
Even then, every person is bound to react differently to the same art piece. To Rudolph, that’s the beauty of the experience.
“We have gotten drastically different responses to the same artwork from different people. That’s the beauty of the interaction between art and people. It’s very individual,” Rudolph said. “That’s why I think it’s so important for us to have a collection that’s diverse in terms of subject matter, medium and where artists come from.”
At Cleveland Clinic Weston, a blue gradient tiled seascape decorates the main lobby. By Sandra Cinto, an artist from Brazil, the commissioned piece reflects not only the South Florida environment of the sea, sky and stars, but also the practical function of the space. Located between main lobbies and across from the cafeteria, the piece can serve many purposes for those who encounter it.
“The waves of the ocean are meant to create a little bit of a rhythm to move you through the space, but also to offer an opportunity for contemplation,” Rudolph said. “If you’re sitting in the cafeteria you have the chance to just gaze or meditate on that seascape.”
As Rudolph and her team have found, the importance of art in medicine lies in the diversity of the piece and the efforts made to eventually connect a viewer with art for an individual experience, a moment of distraction or meditation or even to simply help a visitor find their way around the hospital.
For more information about the Cleveland Clinic Art Collection, visit this website.
