set up for live concerts, and walls lined with art spanning all mediums, even poetry. In fact, you may even recognize works from several Celebration of Fine Art artists including Heidi Rosner, Kath- leen Hope, Matthew Sievers, and Sheri Meldrum, to name a few. People will tell us what a difference
why a minor key makes us sad and why an upbeat tune is great for a power walk or run. It really does affect some- thing inside. There’s also something in being seen. When people see art or experience art that really resonates with them, in a way, they are being seen. That’s why people will return to a
dividuals who’ve been expressionless for some time. “There are certain artistic pieces that, even for a person who doesn’t speak much or at all, they will try to start talking––what they like, what they don’t like, what they’re feeling,” Pierre said. “It stimulates circuits––
not have selected most of their work for the human health benefits, there are several pieces in their collection that do contribute to a healthy space. Among these is a series of works from Brad and Sundie Ruppert. Laura and Pierre chose these not only for aesthetic appeal but also for function. The sculp- tural felt artwork provides sound-damp- ening and reduces echo and reverber- ation, adding to the acoustical comfort of the space, which has been shown to support productivity, focus and memo- ry retention, and even reduce stress. “We chose a lot of hard surfaces in our home,” Laura said. “And some of the choices of art being ceramic or wood, it created a pretty significant echoing and a damping of the sounds you wanted to hear.” Their architect gave them a few rec- ommendations on how to mitigate the issue with, and one of them happened to be with the use of felt throughout the space. When they saw the sculptur- al felt artwork, it was kismet. “We took one look at Brad and Sundie’s work, and said, ‘Whoa! Let’s talk!’,” Pierre said. “So we have quite a bit of felt artwork here. It’s beautiful and functional.” There was one other piece in par- ticular that Laura and Pierre credit for providing a much-needed escape during the pandemic––a large abstract, multi-media piece by past Celebration of Fine Art artist Sondra Wampler. “I’ve probably gazed at that piece for
it [the art installations] made in their day,” Kit said. “First of all, because it’s often unexpected. It’s sort of that delightful surprise in your day or something that takes you out of something complicated. But we’ll also hear things like with our bedside arts, where people will say, ‘I was in such terrible pain today, and this helped.’ Or ‘I was really stressed out, and this calmed me down.’ And to be able to offer it to our staff as well, for
emotional circuits and percep- tual circuits that are still working and this taps into them. We are wired to perceive our environ- ment carefully. If you go back half a million years, you really needed to understand your environment or you wouldn’t make it. So, we’re very tuned into patterns and face recognition, and even when we can’t talk well or remember well, those circuits are working.” In fact, Pierre said there have been seven independent neural circuits identified in the primate brain whose sole purpose is facial recognition. It’s believed these
"When people see art or experience art that really resonates with them, in a way, they are being seen."
those moments of respite, reflection, or just a moment to process, there’s so much value in that.” What is it about art that creates such a visceral response in humans? As it turns out, there’s some neuroscience behind it. “We are, in many ways, wired for art,” Kit said. “Whether that is a particular cadence or rhythm––there’s a reason
certain piece of music or art.” As Kit explains, whether it’s getting lost in a novel or song, or venturing into a painting, art allows you to travel to new places, return to fond memories or imagine yourself in a different setting. But even when art doesn’t resonate with an individual, it still stimulates something inside––and often it’s pow- erful enough to evoke sensations in in-
are hardwired in the brain because it’s an important survival mechanism. In a fraction of a second, the brain can gather a lot of intelligence that enables it to make sense of the envi- ronment and how to proceed. “The most dangerous thing on the veldt half a million years ago was an- other human,” Pierre said. “You had to understand quickly that it was a
Artwork by Kathleen Hope hangs at the Mayo Clinic.
homosapien and quickly figure out if they were friend or foe. We don’t think about this in daily life and we don’t talk about it, but art taps into that in ways that we don’t necessarily understand.”
perience, stimulating emotion, provid- ing an escape, bridging a connection, bringing nature and joy into the built environment, and, in some cases, add- ing to the acoustical comfort. “If you think about what the arts can do, it’s never ending,” Kit said. “It’s
Art and the physical environment
Similarly, more and more research is coming out about how the spaces people occupy impact health on a physical, mental and neural level–– and often this may be in ways that are not immediately obvious, but are immediately felt. Now, everything from thermal com- fort to lighting to the incorporation of nature and even acoustic design is considered when creating spaces that are conducive to human health. And art can play a key role in many of these areas. For instance, adding nature scenes or sculptures made of natural ma- terials can bring nature into a space where it didn’t previously exist. Serene music or wall art can offer moments of respite. Light installations offer a creative way to bring additional light into a space. And there’s even art that can add to the acoustical comfort of a space. For Laura and Pierre, they’ve ex- perienced not only the healing and therapeutic power of art through their work with patients, but also firsthand at home. While they may
Sculptural felt by Brad and Sundie Ruppert creates acoustical comfort and beauty.
50 hours,” Pierre said. “Every time I look at it, I see something different––emo- tion, motion, intensity, endless ways of perceiving it.” That’s the beauty of art, it can touch nearly every aspect of the human ex-
this whole spectrum of engagement. Whether you’re sitting and taking it in or whether you’re actively participating in it as part of your healing journey.”
Watch the Vitamin A(rt) video here.
"Lavender Serenity" by Heidi Rosner
"Canyon Sunset" by Beth Zink
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Issue 4 | Spring 2023
Issue 4 | Spring 2023
Page 9
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