Painting a picture of the future precinct  

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How much of an impact do health spaces have on a patient’s recovery?  Growing evidence shows that incorporating arts into health facilities has proven clinical benefits to the health system as a whole.

That’s where our Arts in Health Infrastructure program comes in. It was established in 2018 to deliver improved health outcomes for NSW communities and health professionals. It builds arts into the very core of health infrastructure.  
 
We recently held three arts strategy workshops at the John Hunter Hospital. We sought the opinions of staff, our Aboriginal stakeholders and those working in the arts and creative fields.   
 
Our hands-on workshops asked questions like, ‘How can arts and culture have a positive influence in health and innovation settings?’   
 
Arts in Health Program Director Brigette Uren said arts in health is much more than pictures on walls. 
 
"It's exciting that arts in health refers to all art forms including design, architecture, heritage, painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, weaving, photography, lighting, video, filmmaking, digital design, crafts, conceptual art, textile arts, literature, poetry, music, song, theatre, dance, movement, and anything in between,” Brigette said.

“A heartfelt thank you to staff and community who were incredibly generous with their time and insight. We look forward to our continued work together.”
 
Our workshops yielded many great ideas. We’ll continue to consult with the community to develop an Arts in Health framework for the precinct, which builds on the existing John Hunter Hospital arts strategy.