Visual Arts - Bedside

A team of Artists In Residence make rounds throughout the UF Health Jacksonville campus to engage patients and their visitors. Various projects are provided to adult patients to provide respite from stress and anxiety. When each of us creates something, it opens the imagination, lifts moods and accesses relevancy within the world around us. This dispositional change can expedite the healing process.

We give careful thought to diversity of materials, time required and specialized dexterity challenges.

Invariably, patients tell stories as they create. Conversation and connection helps alleviate loneliness and depressive moods. While our visual arts staff is guiding materials, our most important role on many days is listening. Patients transform emotionally and cheer up significantly during these visits.

Most recently, we have integrated the use of iPads to facilitate creativity and to introduce music at bedside for our patients.