When setting up the community art gallery wall in the lobby of SSM Health Waupun Memorial Hospital in Wisconsin, volunteer coordinator Tara Rhodes bought frames that were durable, easy to sanitize, and looked sharp.
When children come to see their work on display, they beam with pride.
"The kids cannot believe how professional it looks," she said. "Their eyes get a little bit bigger thinking, 'That's my work. And it's right up there, and it's framed.'"
The humble community art space had been a blank wall less than 17 feet wide across from the gift shop. The gallery debuted in September at the 25-bed hospital, a staple of the Southeast Wisconsin town for 75 years.
The gallery helps make the hospital a more welcoming space for people who may feel a little anxious about visiting, Rhodes said.
The hospital hosts an optional reception each month for the new group who displays art. Students from SSM Health Treffert Center in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, which provides services for people with autism, behavior, and communication disorders, have exhibited art, as have students who receive services from REACH Waupun, an organization that supports local youth and families.
Local nonprofit City of Sculpture featured photos of local artist Steve Biever's sculptures. Students from local and further-flung schools also have displayed work or are scheduled to do so this year.
When Rhodes talks to art teachers to solicit works, she encourages them to think of the student who might get a boost from the honor. "We are all inclusive, so please pick the student who maybe doesn't get the home run in baseball or all the football tackles," she said. "But we can make sure that we are focusing on those that maybe need that lift. And really, that's what our mission is about."
Parents of students must sign a release for the display of students' artwork, and the artwork must align with the values of SSM Health. Photos of the artwork and the reception go on SSM Health Wisconsin social media channels. The frames fit common sizes for art and construction paper, and cards at the bottom of each frame display information about the artist and the work.
Rhodes got the idea for the gallery wall from similar efforts at SSM Health Monroe Hospital and SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital — Janesville, both in Wisconsin. Those displays are swapped out less often, Rhodes said. The Agnesian HealthCare Foundation, which supports SSM Health ministries in Fond du Lac, Ripon, Waupun, and surrounding communities, gave the Waupun hospital a $11,900 grant for the frames and supplies needed to display artwork and host the receptions.
Deb Winterhack, director of development for the foundation, said the art gallery aligns with a foundation goal of improving patient and employee satisfaction, and helps connect the nonprofits that may have art on display with people. She said patients and employees love seeing the artwork, and because Waupun is such a small community, it's usually from someone they know or a name they recognize. Waupun has about 11,000 residents.
"We're about taking care of everyone, regardless of their ability to pay, regardless of who they are," Winterhack said. "Just inviting the community in, in many ways for us, is not just about taking care of the people physically. It's about body, mind, and spirit — all of it."