Artists Circle was lucky enough to source and install art for the recently opened wing at Suburban Hospital. The new facility, which opened on Friday, February 21, is now home to gorgeous, calming art that we hope will improve the experiences of both staff and visitors alike, including collages of photos of the natural world in Bethesda, Maryland, taken and created by Artists Circle’s very own Austin Bristor. Our art complements the timeless, open design of the building by Wilmot Sanz architects.
Suburban’s art committee was made up of entirely women—and it just so happens that most of the artists whose work we installed and many of the contractors who worked on the project were women, too! Artists Circle has been proud to work with such an incredible team of women thinkers and workers, especially the day after International Women’s Day.
This wall sculpture in the main atrium is made of 70 individual pieces of hand blown glass sculptures.
This bright, botanical painting hangs in one of the waiting areas in the lobby.
Meditative, nonrepresentational, tranquil paintings felt like the best choice for the hallway leading to the new Prayer and Meditation Room.
These large-scale collages designed by Artists Circle’s Austin Bristor brighten up the halls near patient rooms.
One of the most exciting pieces that Artists Circle got to commission specifically for this installation was the Small Things mural, also known as Water, Wind, and Sun. We’ve never been so excited about medical waste: this three-part series was made of medicine, vial, and syringe caps, as well as IV hangers and connectors, all embedded in resin. The triptych was meant to represent how each small act of compassion and every interaction between caregivers, patients, and families makes a big difference to patients and families, and how those deeds add up to create a beautiful spirit of generosity and healing within the hospital.
One of the highlights of the creation and installation process was when Artists Circle threw a sorting party for the nurses who collected the caps over two years. The nurses came to our barn sweet barn with boxes and boxes full of the caps, then sorted them all into like categories so that the artist who would eventually create the mural would know exactly what she could create.
Nurses gather in the barn at Artists Circle to sort through medicine, vial, and syringe caps, and IV hangers and connectors, for the creation of the Small Things mural.
Once we had an idea of what materials were available to us, Artists Circle’s in-house design team generated the following mock-ups of how we wanted these pieces to look. We went for a bright and eye-catching, cheerful and soothing abstract feel with lots of implied movement, and references to the natural world, as you can see below.
Mockups of the Small Things Series generated by Artists Circle’s in-house design team.
Artists Circle then commissioned these pieces from local artist Billie Coursey-Lookingbill, who usually creates her art out of old windows, sea glass, or broken and crushed shells. Of creating these pieces, Billie says, “When Katie first showed me their concept, I was a little fearful that I wouldn't have the technical skill to work on such large projects, but I was immediately moved by the use of the small pieces of plastic, used everyday in the care of patients, that would normally be discarded…. I felt inspired by and connected to the concept of using ‘medical trash,’ and was almost giddy when I saw the large bins filled to the top with all kinds of colors, shapes and sizes!” Billie also had a sense of humor as she fabricated the series; she notes that the concept and title Water, Wind, and Sun is loosely based on the name of the band Earth, Wind, and Fire. (“There wasn’t a lot of brown to include much ‘Earth,’” Billie says.)
Once the pieces were completed and installed by Austin and Dan, members of AO’s installation team, AO’s Jack and Katie attended the dedication ceremony for the pieces, along with Billie. There, Billie was able to talk about how she created these pieces in the final weeks of her father’s life, when she witnessed the kindness of nurses and CNAs over and over as they cared for him. “[It] was a precious gift,” she said in her speech. “I’m so deeply thankful to the men and women who answer their calling to enter the nursing field.”
Water by Billie Coursey Lookingbill
Repurposed Plastic Vial Caps in Resin
Wind by Billie Coursey Lookingbill
Repurposed Plastic Vial Caps in Resin
Sun by Billie Coursey Lookingbill
Repurposed Plastic Vial Caps in Resin
Detail
Detail
Artist Billie Coursey-Lookingbill (L) and Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer LeighAnn Sidone (R) stand next to the Small Things mural at the dedication ceremony, February 21, 2020.
You can watch a video to learn more about the Small Things mural and its significance here.
Artists Circle was so grateful to be able to carry this project out from initial design concepts to installation. We are thankful to Billie, Austin, and all the artists whose work now hangs in the new building. We were happy to be able to enliven and brighten the space for the patients and staff at Suburban Hospital, especially the nurses and CNAs that care so excellently for patients and their families. At Artists Circle, we believe that art—both creating and viewing it—can be profoundly restorative. As Billie put it, “Sharing our own creativity with others, and appreciating and connecting to the creativity in others, leads to healing and encouragement in both us and them.”