From large-scale installations to multidimensional displays, artwork can enhance the healthcare experience for patients, staff, and visitors by creating moments of positive distraction and solace. In stark contrast to the white walls and unadorned hallways traditionally associated with clinical environments, modern hospitality-inspired art programs are bringing bold new aesthetics into healthcare spaces, reinforcing the connection between design and healing.
“Research shows that thoughtfully curated artwork in clinical settings can reduce stress, improve patient satisfaction, and even support faster healing,” says Allison Barry, president of Kevin Barry Art Advisory, an art consultancy that partners with healthcare facilities to design and curate impactful art programs. “Art can provide patients and families with a sense of familiarity during moments of uncertainty, offering comfort and control in unfamiliar environments.”
To fully optimize the transformative impact of art in healthcare settings requires strategic planning with the expert guidance of an experienced consultant. Leveraging decades of art consulting knowledge in healthcare settings, KBAA collaborates closely with architects, designers, clinical staff and community stakeholders to ensure that every piece of art is thoughtfully integrated into a facility’s overall design to support healing and connection.
Achieving Alignment
KBAA strives to translate each healthcare facility’s unique design narrative into art strategies that are “emotionally resonant and operationally effective,” Barry says. To align an art program with an organization’s brand identity, KBAA considers three core elements:
Institutional Vision
Art can reinforce an organization’s mission and vision by reflecting values such as compassion, hope, and innovation. Incorporating brand colors, for example, can connect artwork to an institution’s identity.
Function of Space
Artwork should be tailored to suit the clinical purpose of each space, whether through playful imagery in pediatric areas or thought-provoking pieces in an outpatient lobby.
Community Context
Drawing inspiration from the local culture and surroundings can make artwork feel familiar, relevant, and inclusive—building trust by resonating with the audience it’s designed to serve.
Ideally, healthcare organizations engage KBAA during early design development or schematic planning phases. “By collaborating from the outset,” Barry says, “we can align with interior finishes, identify key visual and emotional impact zones, and navigate logistical or regulatory requirements unique to healthcare environments.”
An integrated strategy requires collaboration across the entire team to smoothly coordinate construction timelines, permitting requirements, and safety regulations. For example, involving structural and electrical engineers throughout the construction process guarantees that artwork can be installed with proper lighting and support, while avoiding conflicts between art placement and the location of outlets, fire extinguishers, and other equipment.
“The most impactful outcomes come from treating art as an integral part of the healing environment, not as a finishing touch,” Barry says.
Curating for Maximum Impact
Selecting appropriate artwork for a healthcare setting can present an overwhelming spectrum of options, including colors, media, materials, and motifs. KBAA partners with facilities to simplify this process, strategically sourcing the right piece for the right place.
“These decisions are never just aesthetic; they are strategic, responsive, and deeply tied to how people interact with the environment,” Barry says. “Art format and placement are thoughtfully tailored to the function and flow of each space.”
Bold, dynamic works of art in high-traffic areas—such as corridors—can support wayfinding by subtly guiding movement and orientation without causing congestion. These pieces can draw the eye forward, helping people intuitively navigate a space. In contrast, more detailed, contemplative works that invite closer inspection may be better suited for quieter, more reflective environments like waiting areas or chapels, where they encourage pause and engagement.
Additionally, specific visual elements such as color, subject matter, and material all contribute to the emotional tone.
- “Color is one of the most immediate ways to influence mood,” Barry says. “Calming tones such as blues and greens are often used in behavioral health units and emergency departments to promote peace and tranquility. In contrast, warm hues like oranges and yellows can bring energy and brightness to outpatient clinics, pediatric spaces and rehabilitation areas where a sense of optimism and vitality is encouraged.”
- Subject matter motifs also influence emotional responses generated by art. “Representational, nature-based imagery—such as landscapes, plants, or local landmarks—offer familiarity and grounding,” Barry says, “which is particularly effective in patient rooms, memory care units, or waiting areas, where a comforting visual anchor can ease anxiety and support orientation.”
The benefits of nature-inspired biophilic art in healthcare settings have been widely documented, with research suggesting that depictions of natural landscapes can shorten recovery times, alleviate stress and reduce pain levels. These benefits can be especially valuable in pre-operative areas, intensive care units, and oncology departments, where patients often experience heightened anxiety.
Abstract art has a meaningful place as well, Barry notes. “It invites introspection and imagination, allowing individuals to bring their own interpretations, which can be especially valuable in spaces intended for reflection,” she says.
- Material selection is another key consideration in healthcare settings, where cleanability, durability, and infection control are paramount. Balancing visual appeal without compromising function is critical to integrating artwork into clinical environments.
Thoughtfully combining a wide range of art styles creates an environment that’s visually stimulating while promoting every stage of the healing experience.
Case Study: Designing a serene setting at City of Hope
Long before City of Hope began planning an outpatient cancer center on the northeast corner of its main campus in Duarte, California, art was strategically embedded into the organization’s mission to nurture patients through treatment and recovery. The nonprofit research hospital engaged KBAA in July 2022, during the design development phase, to help coordinate the facility’s art program in collaboration with the internal design team —including Facilities Space Planner, Kristin Ellingsen and Art Curator Sam Mellon, along with Nannette Emerson, senior interior designer at Ewing Cole, the partnering architecture firm on the project.
The design team’s approach was, in a word, “holistic,” Mellon explains—with the goal of blending the art program into the facility’s architecture and interior design to create a seamless experience. To achieve this cohesion, the team collaborated with KBAA to pull inspiration from the natural shapes and colors of the nearby San Gabriel Mountains.
“By involving them in the initial vision and showing them what inspired us, KBAA carried on that theme with art that created a serene environment,” Emerson says. “We ended up with a mix of abstract art and more realistic views reflecting our surrounding landscapes to create a sense of place and a feeling of peace.”
Throughout the eight-story, 352,000-square-foot facility—the largest building on City of Hope’s Duarte campus—65 custom commissions and more than 300 thoughtfully curated pieces integrate to create a narrative of hope and healing. Along the way, monumental artworks set the tone as bold anchors for the art program, Mellon says, such as Ball-Nogues Studio’s dynamic installation of over 25,000 feet of aluminum bead chains suspended from the atrium ceiling, creating a stunning focal point as patients and visitors ascend the main staircase.
“By carefully selecting artwork as part of an integrated program, you’re telling visitors, ‘We care about your experience,’” Mellon says.
The impact of City of Hope’s art program is evident on the faces of patients as well as the feedback from staff, who have commented how much they appreciate the artwork offering opportunities for respite during busy shifts, Ellingsen notes. “Watching people come in and seeing their faces light up is so dynamic,” she says. “Artwork has the power to uplift and inspire and heal. You can’t not respond to it.”
Investing in Art
Although financial considerations are key to funding an effective art program, “high-impact artwork doesn’t always require large investment,” Barry notes. By leveraging a wide network of artists and planning ahead, KBAA helps clients strategically allocate resources to meet budgetary objectives.
For example, a tiered approach can help facilities prioritize high-impact moments, whether it’s a signature installation in a highly trafficked public space, such as City of Hope’s dynamic Ball-Nogues hanging sculpture, or a series of smaller, strategically placed works that create a cohesive journey. “We want to ensure that every investment, regardless of scale, enhances the overall environment and contributes meaningfully to the care experience,” Barry says.
An experienced art consultancy can help establish the proper budget for an art program, identify key areas to prioritize installations and execute strategies to achieve the highest impact. “Ultimately, a successful installation is one that brings comfort, sparks joy, and shapes a more welcoming, human-centered healthcare environment,” Barry says.
Researchers at Cleveland Clinic quantified art’s role in the patient experience with a study published in The Health Environments Research & Design (HERD) Journal, revealing that 73 percent of patients said artwork improved their mood, 61 percent said it reduced their stress, and 39 percent said it improved their comfort or pain perception. Notably, results were even higher among patients treated for cancer, generalized anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
“Carefully chosen artwork offers positive distractions, allowing patients to focus on something other than their condition,” Barry says.
Healthcare art programs also benefit staff members by providing moments of reprieve to alleviate feelings of burnout and fatigue, contributing to a more positive work environment that can enhance job satisfaction and increase retention rates.
“A thoughtfully curated art program can change the way patients and staff perceive the space, turning the environment into more than just a place of care, but one of hope and restoration—helping it feel more human and less clinical,” Barry says. “Ultimately, art in healthcare is most effective when it does more than fill a wall. It should reflect purpose, promote healing, and create moments of connection that elevate the care experience for everyone who enters the space.”
