UH TriPoint Medical Center Hosts Winter Art Exhibit Featuring Young Artists from The Fine Arts Association

Concord Township, OH - For more than 10 years, the community art gallery inside University Hospitals (UH) TriPoint Medical Center has been featuring artwork from local artists using various art mediums, including watercolor, oil, photography and mixed media. This winter, the gallery will be featuring winter-themed artwork from some of the community’s youngest aspiring artists – students, age six to 12, from The Fine Arts Association (FAA) in Willoughby.

The winter-themed exhibit features acrylic paintings with a mixed media flair. Students in the Family Ties Homeschool Program, taught by Dianne Stiver-Lang, Visual Art Instructor for FAA, created snowmen with real sticks for arms. Students in Creative Painting and Drawing 1 and 2, taught by Melissa Sexstella, Associate Director of Visual Arts at FAA, created winter gnomes.

“Art is a language that we all speak and giving students an opportunity to share what they have created gives their artistic voice a place to be heard,” says Sexstella. “They can’t accomplish this without an audience.”

The exhibit had been in the works for a few months, when Robyn Kermode, who manages the rotating community art gallery, reached out to the FAA about displaying students’ artwork.

“Discovering and creating beauty through art is therapeutic, provides opportunity for individual expression and contributes to a deeper human experience” says CEO of The Fine Arts Association, Paul Holm. “We are grateful that our student's hard work not only benefits them but also those who come to University Hospitals to improve their health. These types of collaborative partnerships leverage some of the best tools we have to improve wellness and community conversation.”

According to UH Art Curator Thomas Huck, the UH fine art program often looks for opportunities to work with regional organizations and highlight the beneficial work and programming they are providing to our community.

When UH TriPoint Medical Center was built in 2019, it was built using principles of evidence-based design - a concept that links the quality of the hospital environment to patient outcomes. Each original work of art was carefully chosen to help reduce stress, improve outcomes and aid in way finding.

“We believe that incorporating artwork into our health care environment is very beneficial for our patients, visitors and staff,” says Huck. “Not only does artwork enhance our interiors from a design perspective but helps provide a soothing, healing and inspiring environment within our facilities that many may find intimidating, impersonal or sterile.”

More than 300 original paintings, photographs, metal and glass sculptures, textiles, and outdoor sculptures created primarily by Ohio artists are featured around UH TriPoint Medical Center. The permanent art collection also includes works by physicians and caregivers.

“We recognize that patients and visitors are often anxious when they arrive at the hospital,” said Cynthia Moore-Hardy, FACHE, President of UH TriPoint Medical Center. “Appropriately selected artwork can offer patients positive distractions that can take their minds off any discomfort they may be feeling.”

For more information about the UH TriPoint Medical Center community art gallery, please email Robyn.Kermode@UHhospitals.org. For more information about The Fine Arts Association, please visit fineartsassociation.org.