Art in Healthcare: Stories of the Collection
20 January – 18 February 2024
Art in Healthcare: Stories of the Collection is an exhibition that aims to not just simply tell the story of the artwork, but to share the journey of how the artwork has become part of the collection, and its impact on people who have experienced the work in healthcare settings. It is an opportunity to celebrate works from our collection and their stories.
This exhibition features a selection of works from the collection, all of which have been on display in healthcare settings across Scotland, including Clydebank, Dundee, Dumfries, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Kirkcaldy, Nairn and Paisley.
The voices and stories shared are of the artists of the collection, past colleagues who have worked and volunteered for the charity, generous donors who have adopted an artwork, and those of patients and users of healthcare settings who have shared their love of the work – bringing the collection to life.
Art in Healthcare is a charity working across Scotland to improve health and wellbeing for individuals and communities by providing opportunities to experience and engage with high quality visual art, artists, and creativity, particularly within community, health and social care settings.
Our charity was originally affiliated to Paintings in Hospitals, and following a generous donation of works in 1991, we began to locate artworks in health and social care settings throughout Scotland. Over the last thirty years, Art in Healthcare has established a vast collection of artworks that have been placed in healthcare settings across Scotland. The collection features artworks by artists whose careers have spanned from 1960 to the present-day, using a variety of mediums including painting, drawing, printmaking, textiles and photography.
It is a unique collection, with works over the years being purchased, gifted, or loaned directly from artists, artist estates, collectors, private and cultural institutions. We have also commissioned works, offering opportunities for artists to create new work specifically for healthcare settings. Each work in the collection has been selected or donated because of its potential to help people feel better. Works from our collection are currently exhibited in over forty healthcare settings in locations including Ayrshire, Edinburgh and Lothians, Fife and Tayside, North Lanarkshire, the Highlands and the Orkney Islands.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who support Art in Healthcare, including Friends of the charity and those who have adopted an artwork. A special thank you to all who have contributed to this exhibition, sharing insights and experiences of works from our collection.
24 January 2024 by Amy Miles