Art in the National Health Service : a report / by the DHSS.

  • Great Britain. Department of Health and Social Security
Date:
[1984?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Art in the National Health Service : a report / by the DHSS. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The kinds of work which may be purchased cover quite a broad range, although most hospitals find that original prints are relatively cheap and effective. Christies Contemporary Art have a good selection and have generously donated prints to hospitals in the past. It is important to seek advice on where to purchase original prints and how to frame them. COMMISSIONS Much of what has been said about purchase also applies when it is intended to commission an artist to execute a work for a specific site. The Art for Public Places scheme also covers commissions and has been a major source of funding in this area. Some Regional Arts Associations also run similar schemes of their own, whereby a grant of up to 50% of the cost will be offered. North West Arts runs a scheme entitled “Art Into the Open” and the West Midlands Arts Associ- ation has started a scheme which it calls “Artists with their Work”. Lincolnshire and Humberside Arts and Northern Arts also run their own schemes. Most hospitals, both old and new, invariably have large, busy public spaces which may be oppressive, either because of their size or, in older buildings, because of the heaviness of their architecture. A large-scale contemporary work of art can transform these spaces dramatically. At the same time such a commission can provide the artist with a rare opportunity to execute a work in a public place and on a scale not often possible elsewhere. There is no doubt that from the artist’s point of view, many more people will be able to see the work if it is in a hospital foyer or waiting room than in an art gal- lery or someone’s home. Commissions are usually made in one of two ways - directly by arrangement with an artist, or by open competition. In the former case, unless a particular artist has already been selected, Regional Arts Associations may be consulted for advice. RAAs usually keep a register of artists they have been involved with and will have slides of their work. The Arts Council, at its Long Acre Index in Covent Garden has a collection of slides of artists’ work which may be consulted. Once an artist or artists have been selected, they may be invited to submit drawings and, eventually (for a fee) asked to produce a scale maquette to show how the work will appear in the chosen site. In this way, opinion may be canvassed from a wide cross-section of staff, patients and visitors before the commission goes ahead. At the Brompton Hospital, where Graham Crowley was eventually commissioned to carry out a relief mural in a waiting area, staff and patients were invited to state their preference for the dif- ferent schemes on show. If it is decided to make the commission by open competition, artists will also be invited to submit drawings. The first phase will then lead to a selection of a short- list of candidates who, for a fee, may be invited to prepare maquettes, permitting the final choice. It is usual in these cases to have a representative of the RAA and/ or the Arts Council on the selection panel. For a new hospital, the architect will also probably be involved.