Arts in Hospital

Dorset County Hospital houses a collection of original artwork which has won national recognition. The Arts in Hospital charity manages the art collection and exhibitions, aiming to improve the experience of being in hospital for patients, visitors and staff. In short, helping people feel better. Here are a few popular projects ...

Postcards from Dorset

As a follow up to last year’s Garden’s Delight project, photographer George Wright photographed 12 staff in their favourite part of the Dorset Coast.

Postcards from Dorset proved to very popular with staff and patients and the photographs are now permanently installed in the Medical and Surgical Outpatients area. Staff were asked to explain what is special about their chosen location.

Boy Child

This has been a year–long performance project in collaboration with Bridport Primary School, The Sir John Colfox School, the HM Young Offenders Institute, fathers to be and older men. Workshops led by artist, Mark Storor, have explored what it is to be male in our society and culminated in a large–scale performance event in the former Admiralty Underwater Weapons building in Portland on Father’s Day. The project was funded by the Wellcome Trust and Arts Council England South West.

Cultural Medicine

We took part in Cultural Medicine, a four day arts and health festival in Dorchester. The highlight of the event was Opera on the Run. Opera singers disguised as two doctors and a patient who wandered around the hospital, bursting into song in wards, waiting areas and corridors to the amazement and delight of patients, staff and visitors.

 

We are also very grateful to our volunteers for their help with managing the collection and the Friends of Arts in Hospital as well as for their support in fundraising. The highlight of this was the Vintage Fashion show at Athelhampton House where 30 novice models aged 14 to 60 did a twirl on the catwalk in a vintage outfit from the collection of Beryl Cornish. Our grateful thanks to Patrick and Anthea Cooke at Athelhampton and to Dukes the Auctioneers.

For more information about Arts in Hospital please call 01305 255144 or email: alex.coulter@dchft.nhs.uk