NEW PROVIDENCE NEWBERG MEDICAL CENTER RECEIVES
HEALING ART FROM YOUNG MINDS AND HANDS
June 7, 2006
 NEWBERG, Ore. - “Wow!” “Cool!” “Look at that!”
Those sounds - and many other expressions of wonder and pride - could be heard throughout the new Providence Newberg Medical Center as more than 400 students, parents, teachers and artists got a sneak preview of The Youthful Art of Healing project, which contributes to the medical center’s unique environment.
Students from Newberg, Sherwood, St. Paul and Dundee created 112 gallery-quality pieces that will be on permanent display at Providence Newberg, Oregon’s newest hospital.
"Listening to music or viewing art is a therapeutic, healing experience,” said George Weghorst, M.D., medical director for Providence Newberg and the Yamhill Service Area. “The creation of art can also have a calming affect. So when children paint or draw or sculpt, they enter a state of mind that has a meaningful impact on their body's capacity to heal and to prevent disease."
Through grants from foundations and local donors, Providence Newberg offered hundreds of young community members the opportunity to take part in the project. Local artists submitted ideas to a selection panel. The panel then paired up teachers and classes with artists to create the art for the project.
Lory Albright brought her fourth graders from Mabel Rush Elementary School in Newberg. Their 30 framed paintings hang in the maternity waiting area of the medical center.
“Art is a powerful tool to help us learn about the amazing world around us and ourselves,” explained Albright. “This project helped my students explore themselves and the bigger world.”
Newberg High School senior Jesse Norton helped design a large mural depicting a variety of people joyfully interacting with one another. It hangs in the medical center’s cafeteria. “When people look at this painting I hope they see the innocence of children and know that life is not always about hardship,” said Norton.
Dundee Elementary School fourth grader Mookie Foutos touched the tiny tiles in mosaics that visualized different aspects of health care. He helped create the mosaic about radiology. “I think it will be interesting in 20 years to come back here and see this and know that I made it,” said Foutus. “I think that will be really cool.”
The Youthful Art of Healing Project began in February 2006 with an art therapy workshop at the old Providence Newberg Hospital. Artists and teachers learned about the healing qualities of creating and viewing art. They were given the color palette of the new medical center interior, and learned what shapes and color patterns would be healing in an environment like a hospital.
The artists spent the next three months working with the teachers and their students. They guided the initial vision of the children to the creations of the final pieces. Throughout the process, the artists and teachers educated the children about the healing qualities of art.
Now those pieces of art, sculptures, paintings, fabric banners, textiles and mosaics, are on display throughout Providence Newberg Medical Center. And community students - from elementary school to high school - can proudly claim to help with the healing within the walls of their new medical center.
As Larry Bowe, chief executive for Providence Newberg, told the students, “we have a fabulous hospital, and because of your art, it’s even more fabulous!”
The students’ work can be seen during Providence Newberg Medical Center’s community open house on Saturday, June 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. PNMC begins receiving patients on Friday, June 16.
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Providence Newberg Medical Center is part of Providence Health System, which provides complete health care peace of mind through a network of hospitals, clinics, health plans and home services. Providence Newberg Medical Center opens its doors on June 16, 2006. Visit www.providence.org/newberg.
Contacts:
Gary Walker
503-215-7567
Gary.Walker@providence.org
Jean Powell Marks
503-215-6200
Jean.Marks@providence.org
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