- Email: [email protected]
The mural paintings at Redhill Chest Clinic, Edgware
i6
The Mural Paintings at Redhill Chest Clinic, Edgware The Clinic building is an attractive one, just each week for occupational therapy co1> inside the main Hospital gate. There are ceived the idea of a sale of work, to be held flower beds in front, and a group of tall just before Christmas, thert about three chestnut trees behind. It is one-storied and of months ahead. The patients put to use the good modern design, with plenty of windows, skill which they had acquired from occupamaking it ligkt and cheerful inside. The tional therapists in the sanatoria and saleable waking room is large, about 25 ft. by 19 ft., articles poured in day by day--felt animals with windows along three sides. The fourth and dolls, leather handbags and holdails, side Used to present a blank surface, and it purses, wallets; one patient framed a picture, was, perhaps, this blank surface which put another made wooden Mickey Mouses that the idea of the mural into somebody's mind. turned somersaults; another drew calendars At any rate, someone in the Clinic thought, and small pictures. All arrangements for the one day in i945, that a mural painting on event were planned and carried out by a that wall would add immeasurably to the patients' committee, with some assistance attractiveness of the room, and have, perhaps, from members of the staff and an occupaan encouraging effect on the thousands of tional therapist at one of the county sanapatients who would come to sit in there. toria. The cost of materials was advanced Accordingly a local g o u p of artists, the from a private source. There was a record Hendon, Golders Green & Mill Hill Artists' crowd of eager purchasers at the sale, and Designers' Group, was invited to submit and the money was raised with some to designs for the mural. Six designs came in spare. and some more from an independent artist, The designs were then submitted to Mr and for several months they were or1 view in Philip James, Art Director of the Arts the waiting room. Meanwhile the very Council, who had already been told about serious business of raising money to pay for the scheme. He chose a representation of the mural was going oil. A small group of scenes at the Zoo by Miss Margaret Tracey, patiettts who were meeting at the Clinic a young artist living in Hendon, and
J a n u a r y I94.7
TUBERC
LE
17
It is interesting to speculate on the effect which the painting has on the patients. Certainly, new patients must be surprised to find, instead of the usual bare-walled, undistinguished apartment, a place where an artist has been at work. T h e new patient, even if he is no connoisseur, must feet assured that he has come to a place where people will take a good deal of trouble with him, if they care sufficiently about his surroundings to adorn them in. this way. With the older patients, it is more dift~.cult to assess their reaction. T h e y like their mural, and are more or less consciously aware of" its cheering and humanizing effect, but custom will probably make them fairly blind to it after a while. The ideal arrangement would be, perhaps, to have a new mural painted every two years or so. It has been demonstrated that money need prove no obstacle, at any rate in a large chest clinic; it would give work to artists; and ic is aIways worth while to create something beautiful, especially in a place where it may have an encouraging effect on the sick. by May, I946 , the picture was on the wall. It was formally 'received' at a large gathering of group members, patients and staffby Mr Philip James who in the course of a wise and witty speech made two especially interesting remarks. He recalled that in Sweden, when estimates are passed Ibr any public building, one per cent of the cost is earmarked for internal decorations. And he said that he believed that, in the thture, the municipalitie s would become the chief patrons of" the Arts. This remark was possibly aimed at a particular member of his audience, t'pr the Chairman of the Middlesex County Council Public Health Committee, Mr Fred Messer, M.P., was there, and had spoken earlier in warm appreciation of mural paintings in. hospitals and clinics. One of the patients voiced the feelings of the rest w h e n h e said, 'It's our ~ ' *' clinic, and it's o u r mural.'
The Mural Paintings at Redhill Chest Clinic, Edgware The Clinic building is an attractive one, just each week for occupational therapy co1> inside the main Hospital gate. There are ceived the idea of a sale of work, to be held flower beds in front, and a group of tall just before Christmas, thert about three chestnut trees behind. It is one-storied and of months ahead. The patients put to use the good modern design, with plenty of windows, skill which they had acquired from occupamaking it ligkt and cheerful inside. The tional therapists in the sanatoria and saleable waking room is large, about 25 ft. by 19 ft., articles poured in day by day--felt animals with windows along three sides. The fourth and dolls, leather handbags and holdails, side Used to present a blank surface, and it purses, wallets; one patient framed a picture, was, perhaps, this blank surface which put another made wooden Mickey Mouses that the idea of the mural into somebody's mind. turned somersaults; another drew calendars At any rate, someone in the Clinic thought, and small pictures. All arrangements for the one day in i945, that a mural painting on event were planned and carried out by a that wall would add immeasurably to the patients' committee, with some assistance attractiveness of the room, and have, perhaps, from members of the staff and an occupaan encouraging effect on the thousands of tional therapist at one of the county sanapatients who would come to sit in there. toria. The cost of materials was advanced Accordingly a local g o u p of artists, the from a private source. There was a record Hendon, Golders Green & Mill Hill Artists' crowd of eager purchasers at the sale, and Designers' Group, was invited to submit and the money was raised with some to designs for the mural. Six designs came in spare. and some more from an independent artist, The designs were then submitted to Mr and for several months they were or1 view in Philip James, Art Director of the Arts the waiting room. Meanwhile the very Council, who had already been told about serious business of raising money to pay for the scheme. He chose a representation of the mural was going oil. A small group of scenes at the Zoo by Miss Margaret Tracey, patiettts who were meeting at the Clinic a young artist living in Hendon, and
J a n u a r y I94.7
TUBERC
LE
17
It is interesting to speculate on the effect which the painting has on the patients. Certainly, new patients must be surprised to find, instead of the usual bare-walled, undistinguished apartment, a place where an artist has been at work. T h e new patient, even if he is no connoisseur, must feet assured that he has come to a place where people will take a good deal of trouble with him, if they care sufficiently about his surroundings to adorn them in. this way. With the older patients, it is more dift~.cult to assess their reaction. T h e y like their mural, and are more or less consciously aware of" its cheering and humanizing effect, but custom will probably make them fairly blind to it after a while. The ideal arrangement would be, perhaps, to have a new mural painted every two years or so. It has been demonstrated that money need prove no obstacle, at any rate in a large chest clinic; it would give work to artists; and ic is aIways worth while to create something beautiful, especially in a place where it may have an encouraging effect on the sick. by May, I946 , the picture was on the wall. It was formally 'received' at a large gathering of group members, patients and staffby Mr Philip James who in the course of a wise and witty speech made two especially interesting remarks. He recalled that in Sweden, when estimates are passed Ibr any public building, one per cent of the cost is earmarked for internal decorations. And he said that he believed that, in the thture, the municipalitie s would become the chief patrons of" the Arts. This remark was possibly aimed at a particular member of his audience, t'pr the Chairman of the Middlesex County Council Public Health Committee, Mr Fred Messer, M.P., was there, and had spoken earlier in warm appreciation of mural paintings in. hospitals and clinics. One of the patients voiced the feelings of the rest w h e n h e said, 'It's our ~ ' *' clinic, and it's o u r mural.'