Carilion Clinic Joins the Program

“The same impulse that makes people create is the same impulse that makes people heal from illness,” states Psychiatrist Dr. William Rea.   Anyone passing through the entrance of Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital only has to take one look at their First National Arts Program® Exhibit to know that this statement is true, especially in the case of the employees and family members of Carilion Clinic.

 

The lobby of the hospital was transformed with removable walls covered from top to bottom with 271 pieces of artwork from 165 artists, including one from Dr. Rea.  This transformation has been well received by the staff and public alike.  NAP Coordinator Marie Webb commented that, “employees, patients and visitors have all enjoyed seeing the artwork ...  there are always people walking through and really looking closely at the art.”  

 

With our Carilion Clinic venue being made up of seven different hospitals / medical centers located in Virginia, it is one of the largest hospital systems currently participating in our program.  Coordinating a show this size can often be a huge undertaking, especially for a first time coordinator, but Marie did a fabulous job all the while ensuring that the process was as easy as possible for participants.  Not only did Marie streamline the registration process by exclusively using our online form, she also helped customize the form by adding a field option allowing employees to select the specific site they would like to use as their drop off location.  This seemingly small addition proved extremely helpful for both Marie and the participants, especially when incorporating so many different locations into one show.  

 

With such tremendous success in only their first year with the program, we can’t wait to see what the future holds for all the talented artists at Carilion Clinic!