Creating an Arts-Rich Environment at Arkansas Children’s Northwest

When a child requires a hospital visit or stay, it can be a stressful experience for the child as well as the entire family. Integrating the arts into a health care setting can help ease this stress, and the Alice L. Walton Foundation, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Heartland Whole Health Institute are exploring ways that the arts can potentially improve healing and promote well-being.

To support this goal, the Alice L. Walton Foundation is providing $338,800 in funding to support a three-year collaborative program in which Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Heartland Whole Health Institute will partner with Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW) to create an arts-rich environment for patients, families and staff. Arts integrations will include:

• Arts programming
• Artwork installations, possibly including site-specific commissions
• Training and development in arts integration
• Research and evaluation

“Integrating the arts into medical settings can help create an environment that supports whole health—physical, mental, emotional and social well-being,” says philanthropist Alice Walton. “We’re continuing to explore the art and wellness connection and look forward to launching this innovative program.”

“Art can harness the healing power within each of us. That is one of the reasons Arkansas Children’s fosters an environment of discovery and delight. This program will help us elevate that experience for children and their families,” said Fred Scarborough, executive vice president and chief development officer at Arkansas Children’s. “This initiative will promote patient health and healing as the hospital expands to remain right-sized for the community. We are deeply grateful for the vision and support from the Alice L. Walton Foundation.”

This fall, the partners will begin implementation planning, with a goal of launching the program in 2024 and continuing through summer 2027.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art has supported art installations on health care campuses to enhance the art and wellness connection. Photos by Ironside Photography / Stephen Ironside.