Art for All lets kids in hospital create art

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When Reyna Collura left her position with a hospital arts-in-medicine program in Florida last year to move to Galveston, she struggled a bit to find her way as an artist.

"It felt a little hollow making art for myself," Collura said. "I kept thinking, 'Who is this benefiting?' "

So, it has been especially meaningful to Collura to return to the work she loves through a partnership withChild Life Services at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

Since July, Collura has been visiting UTMB's John Sealy Hospital building weekly to guide pediatric patients and their siblings through art projects in her new position as director of education for the Galveston Arts Center.

"It reminds me of why I'm here at the art center and directing my career in this direction," Collura said. "I'm really proud the art center got behind this and we got funding."

The funding came in the form of a $5,00 grant from The Dr. Leon Bromberg Charitable Trust Fund.

The art center will use the money to buy art materials for the hospital program, Art for All at UTMB, and a cart to push supplies from room to room.

Art for All at UTMB is an expansion of the center's Art for All educational outreach, which sends local artists to teach weekly classes at Ronald McDonald House, Libbie's Place Senior Center, The Sunshine Center for Adultswith Disabilities, The Alcohol/Drug Abuse Women's Center, and The Resource and Crisis Center of Galveston County.

Collura, who has a bachelor's degree in illustration from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a master's in illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design, began her career as an artist-in-residence withUniversity of Florida Healthcare.

There, she created the Fantasy Portraits program for pediatric patients.

"I thought I could make their wildest fantasies come true," she said.

During her five years there, her responsibilities expanded, and she begin to work with oncology, critical/intensive care, outpatient clinics, waiting areas and other departments before her husband's work moved them to Texas.

In Galveston, she contacted the art center and asked its leadership how it would feel about her starting a program at UTMB.

The executive director at the time was enthusiastic, but swamped with other projects.

Collura moved on to other artistic pursuits and helped the art center with an unrelated project.

When the center decided to create the director of education position, its board approached Collura.

For her, it was an opportunity to share her ideas, not only for a hospital outreach, but also for programming throughout Galveston.

As for Art for All at UTMB, Collura plans to seek additional funding and hopes to expand the program beyond the pediatric department.

She's confident patients of all ages can benefit from creating art.

"It's a form of self-expression, which becomes more pertinent in a hospital, where there aren't a lot of opportunities for control," Collura said.

The process of creating art also can help patients better cope with their situations, relieve stress, and in some situations, manage pain, she added.

Collura said she has been enjoying seeing children at UTMB experience some of these benefits as she works one-on-one with them.

"I've noticed in certain situations kids calming down; they get very focused. That's magical to see."

Lizette Perez is the pediatrics child life coordinator at UTMB.

"Our goal with the Art for All program, in collaboration with Ms. Reyna Collura, is to foster an environment that incorporates emotional support by engaging and energizing children through special events involving various art media," Perez explained in an email.

"Through the Art for All art program, another main objective is to support families confronting grief and bereavement issues," Perez wrote.

"Research has shown that artistic interventions open the lines of communication between pediatric patients, parents and members of the interdisciplinary team, which facilitates a greater collaboration to meet their medical needs and fosters positive coping skills."