Art Commissions in the Spotlight
Artist
Herb Williams
Project
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Client
BJC HealthCare
About the Artwork
ARCH commissioned this magical custom mosaic from artist Herb Williams for St. Louis Children’s Hospital. The artwork’s pond scene is a nod to the hospital floor’s theme, The Boathouse at Forest Park, where people enjoy feeding fish in the adjoining lake.
Creatively speaking to the hospital’s pediatric population, artist Herb Williams captures the local attraction’s connection in a delightfully authentic fashion.
Using hundreds of crayons as building blocks, he strategically places each one to form a recognizable image. Children are initially drawn to the vibrant colors of the artwork, but on closer inspection, they’re delighted to discover it’s made from something they often use to create art.
The unique use of crayons to fashion the piece conveys the creative whimsy of childhood and suggests the possibilities that can come when thinking in new ways.
The artwork’s single fish encircled by lily pads evokes feelings of positivity and hope that may result from being surrounded by the hospital’s innovative health care team.
About the Artist
Nashville artist Herb Williams’ creative use of Crayola crayons as a medium makes his work uniquely suited for this commission.
Drawing upon a background in construction, Williams uses crayons as the building blocks of his colorful sculptures. His deliberate and strategic stacking of crayons emphasizes the layers of beauty in our natural world that we see when we pay careful attention to our surroundings.