Island Health

ART @ C D H Find us online at: www.islandhealth.ca/newcdh/arts Open hearts, open house Reflecting on our Art@CDH kick-off event on November 1 There was a fantastic response to the Cowichan District Hospital Replacement Project's Art@CDH open house on November 1 at the Cowichan Community Centre. The event was an opportunity for the project partners to engage with local and island wide artists about art opportunities for the Cowichan District Hospital Replacement Project and the Cowichan Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC). The Art@CDH program received over 300 registrants, with more than 200 people participating in the event. A big thank you to all who attended! Our team enjoyed meeting everyone and sharing information about the program and locations for art installations, including interiors and wayfinding, Indigenous art and mentorships, exterior spaces, clinical spaces, landscaping, and art opportunities at the Cowichan UPCC. Infection Prevention and Control criteria was also shared. Volunteers from the Cowichan District Hospital Foundation were on hand to raise awareness of fundraising for hospital equipment to support top quality health care in Cowichan. For those who missed the Open House, a series of mini videos featuring our experts speaking on their topics of expertise will be posted on the Art@CDH webpage, and shared with all registrants by email. About Art@CDH The Art@CDH initiative is part of Island Health's commitment to fostering healing through art. At the heart of the new Cowichan District Hospital (CDH), and the Cowichan UPCC, this program seeks to create welcoming and inspiring spaces through carefully curated artworks, reflective of the region's diverse cultural and natural heritage. Island Health's Art@CDH program invites artists to contribute to a ground- breaking initiative. This is your opportunity to showcase your work as part of an inspiring, permanent collection that will enhance the healing environment at the new hospital and the UPCC in Cowichan. By celebrating community, culture, the breathtaking landscapes and natural beauty of the Cowichan Valley, your art can help foster calm, hope, and connection for patients, families, and staff. F O S T E R I N G H E A L I N G T H R O U G H A R T | E D I T I O N 1 – J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 5 N E W S L E T T E R The Project team was inspired by the many wonderful conversations with artists about various types of art installations, such as soundscapes, interactive storytelling, kinetic art, projection, graphic art, murals, sculptures, two-dimensional artwork and large format environmental prints. Mona Kaiser, medical provider engagement lead, reflected on the conversations she had with artists while staffing the clinical table at the event. "Not only was enthusiasm for the project high, but the surprise many expressed to our focus on the value of art in this community application, was deeply gratifying," noted Mona. "Artists seemed encouraged and included in a way I don't believe artists always do, or at least not for this type of public enterprise." Mona added, "I had a lovely full-circle conversation with former logger and now recreational painter who attended with his daughter. He has lived in Cowichan since 1941 and now lives in supported care. He has a telescope that he trains onto the new CDH site to enjoy the daily progress of the build. One of his children was born in the King's Daughters' Hospital, the next was born in the current CDH, and his son was involved with the record-breaking concrete pour in May 2023. He paints historic logging trucks, wants no compensation, and is thrilled to give back to the community through his art." by Kathryn Gagnon, program curator

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