The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville (MOCA) will present a new Art with a Heart in Healthcare exhibition featuring the art work of pediatric hospital patients Aug. 6 – Dec. 4.
A free, public opening reception will be held Sunday, Aug. 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Florida Blue Education Gallery on the fifth floor of MOCA Jacksonville, located at 333 N. Laura St. The exhibition will feature silhouettes of the patient-artists brought to life by their paintings of colorful patterns, favorite foods, landscapes and particular interests.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with MOCA Jacksonville again on a wonderful exhibition to highlight the relationship between Wolfson Children’s Hospital patients and Art with a Heart in Healthcare,” Art with a Hearth Executive Director Christy Ponder said. “Our new show came to life by asking each patient a simple question: what makes you happy? It is truly amazing to get a glimpse into the patents’ minds to see what makes them happy!”
The exhibition is a continuation of MOCA Jacksonville’s partnership with Art with a Heart in Healthcare, a nonprofit that provides personalized artistic experiences to enhance the healing process for patients and families at Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Nemours Children’s Clinic. Patients in the program partner with an artist-in-residence, who brings out each child’s natural talents and expands their art-making skills. In doing so, organizers say, the program aims to diminish the fear, pain, boredom and depression children might feel during their time in the hospital.
“Art with a Heart brings a professional artist right to sick and injured children in the hospital, which helps our patients cope with their pain and symptoms of their condition, reduces their stress in the hospital setting, and gives them a creative outlet,” said Veronica Scott-Fulton, vice president of operations and patient care services at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. “It's a healing therapy that we are proud to offer.”
