UPLIFTING, arts programming at Derby Hospitals

air is Derby Hospitals arts charity developed to provide positive distraction and enhance the hospital environment. Launched in 2007 air has evolved in to a well respected art to aid wellbeing programme working hard with regionally based artists for the benefit of patients, visitors and staff.

A recent evaluation from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham reports that air …”is on a good footing to expand its activities for future patient benefit.” and demonstrates “a concerted effort and artistic sophistication”

The report collated statistics on the programme between October 2008 and September 2010. Royal Derby Hospital has 12 public galleries which have shown the work of 42 different visual artists. The Hidden Histories archive project has directly engaged over 750 patients’ visitors and staff and reached an audience of 14,000 with the resulting exhibition. Poetry in the Waiting Room is on its 6^th volume with each edition going to more than 100 locations across the Trust. There have been 30 free live music performances in 8 public locations at both hospital sites reaching audiences of between 300 and 1500 each day. There have been 47 participation workshops with patients in the Stroke Rehabilitation Unit, Macmillan Unit, Kings Lodge and Grove Wards. Over the past 2 years air has worked with 191 regionally based artists, the majority from Derby and Derbyshire.

A few examples of patient and staff feedback

“Next week I will be here as an inpatient, this positive experience will help me walk through the door” Feedback from the Kaleidoscope Choirs performance

“Your Cartoons in the Hospital are such fun …. they relieved a traumatic situation and have given me a chance to smile.” Exhibition feedback.

“A fantastic time, we were talking about it for days” Participation workshop feedback

“The music stopped me in my tracks.. soothed my soul for a few minutes” Music Performance feedback.

 Ambitions for 2011 include work to secure the future of the exhibitions program and explore ways of extending it to the London Road Community Hospital, fundraising for further live music performance, expand our in-department participation workshops and support the development of a spectacular new commission from the Organ Donation Committee.

This programme can only be achieved through fundraising and charitable donations, if you are a company, artist collective, or individual who would like to sponsor an activity or contribute a gift in kind please contact Juliet Cooper the Arts Coordinator directly on cooper @hcp.co.uk or 01332 786203