Community Health Network

Artwork at Community Hospital North

Outdoor sculpture

With an entrance that is as much art gallery as hospital lobby, Community Hospital North's impressive art collection now extends beyond the front doors to greet patients, families and visitors before they set foot inside. Two outdoor sculptural pieces, titled "Brick Garden" and "Second Assembly," are the latest addition to the hospital's external space and the first in a new series of planned installations.

A collaboration intended to benefit both the art community and world of health care, the partnership between Community Health Network Foundation and Indiana University's Herron School of Art and Design is one that both parties hope will be long-lasting.

Student Lola Dinger worked with fiberglass, cast concrete and resin to create the larger-than-life, whimsical potted flowers she calls "Brick Garden." The undersides of the brightly hued petals were painted to mimic the exterior brick wall of the hospital behind them. The manmade composition of these usually organic forms encapsulates Dinger's desire to express a message of social adaptation, and is also meant "to offer a short escape from reality in a 'Green Eggs and Ham' kind of world," she says. Hers is a powerful message of the human ability to transform and adapt to a changing environment.

The other new sculptural installation, "Second Assembly," was constructed by student artist Thomas Streit. Inspired not by the destruction but the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Streit found vision in the way "we pick up the pieces," following disaster with new beginnings. The large, black iron beams of Streit's sculpture are representative of the splintered and fallen trees Katrina left behind. However, the pieces are laid out in a way that makes them appear as new offshoots of growth upon each other. Groupings of galvanized steel ringlets embody cell-like bacteria creating new organisms, again representing the idea of new growth. Streit calls his style "Dude Art," which he explains is art that begs the spectator to stop, observe and be moved to utter the word "dude."

Healthy for Artists and Patients Alike

Bill Kingston, president of Community Health Network Foundation, says the partnership could be a model for other businesses to emulate. The arrangement not only highlights Herron's master of fine arts program, but also provides a juried setting for new artists to showcase their work. "The hospital welcomes 125,000 visitors every month," says Kingston, "meaning that in a year's time, more than one million people will potentially see these pieces."

Valerie Eickmeier, dean of the Herron School of Art and Design, says the partnership with Community to display local art has become a labor of love for all involved. "It allows us to recruit talent to our community and provide something unique to potential students," she says, noting that Herron currently has students hailing from 10 states and three countries.

A Torrent of Pleasantries (in plaid)

Indiana artist Debbie Reichard has completed the installation of an outdoor sculpture in the circle entry of Community Hospital North. This installation is an extension of the Community Health Network Foundation’s initiative to incorporate art into the healing process for patients and families.

Titled "A Torrent of Pleasantries (in plaid)", the installation is five feet tall and 15 feet long and is made of garden hose and steel. This installation is the first in a series of planned projects created by art students at the Herron School of Art and Design at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Later this year, more temporary sculptures will be installed as part of an ongoing relationship with students and faculty. Visitors can enjoy this installation through October 2009.

According to Reichard, this installation is her satirical view of suburban life. “Sentimentally, we can be intrinsically connected to specific objects, colors, sounds and smells,” she says. “Even though many of these triggers seem unremarkable to most, everyone can think of an object that reconnects them to a memory.”

Reichard is a former visiting assistant professor of sculpture at the Herron School and has also taught at the University of Washington and the University of Colorado. She is known for creating unique sculptures and ceramics. “I want to change normal,” she says. She works in metal, wood and ceramic, found objects, castable polymers, and sound.

Gallery artwork

Throughout the main gallery at Community Hospital North, we have placed specially commissioned pieces of art commissioned by resident Indiana artists. Each piece of art represents the artist's vision of healing or a step in the journey of life. A number of these pieces are displayed below. Enjoy them here or visit us to view them in person.

Copyright © 2007. These images are property of the artist and cannot be used without the artist’s express written permission.