Ah, Cherie! A template for future encouragement...

I am recently encouraged by a dear friend who is creating really great gifts and photographs, beginning a business and entering her 3rd year at NNU here in Nampa. (check out her cool website: amandacherie.tumblr.com) As we meet, I learn from her and hope my experiences as an artist thus far can provide encouragement and mentorship for her. From this experience, I realize that this blog will serve as an important tool to document the growth of the 'hope+healing' hospital project, serving as a template for student artists to develop sharing what God has given them through the possibility of healing (emotionally, spiritually, physically...) through the arts. Keeping this in mind, this blog will document my journey as I contact hospitals and learn how to best serve the patients and caregivers this exhibition is meant to encourage. My first experience was graciously provided by a contact at Mercy Hospital in Nampa, Idaho. In order to present something somewhat professional, my brother created a gorgeous pdf--a visual overview of the work with a 'key' page interpreting symbols of hope & healing used throughout the exhibition. Through a dear friend and nurse at Mercy, I contacted the liason for the CEO of the hospital. From there, I left a phone message & emailed the pdf to her. She presented this information to the CEO, and we began conversation on the logistics of when & where to hang the exhibition. Although the work is available for sale and will be continually flowing with new work, I decided to explore that area of the journey if someone specifically contacted me about a piece, charging a certain amount per square inch for original work and a set price for specific sizes of prints. I will have this list available but not prominently shown at hospitals, so that if someone asks, they can find out this information discreetly and contribute to funding the project through sales of original art or prints. Patrons will be able to contact me personally through provided contact information/business cards available under my artist's statement for the exhibition. Let's see...what else...oh yes...it's important to know that the number one idea is to encourage the patients & caregivers, which means as an artist, I need to work with whatever the hospital deems best in regard to the details of hanging art (nails in the wall, filling holes afterward if necessary, etc.). In this case, the staff at Mercy is wonderful and provided me with nails, a hammer and the goodness to fill in holes after the show moves to another hospital. I will contact a local hospital that is well versed in exhibiting art and try to arrange a meeting with their art director to learn and gain as much wisdom as possible for how to present the practical needs of a hospital while encouraging it's patients & caregivers. I am here for any questions or suggestions, if you would like! I am learning as I grow! Mary