Each floor of the 12-story expansion at Children’s Hospital features artwork and imagery of popular destinations and activities in the adjacent Forest Park. Themes include:
- Zoo animals (The St. Louis Zoo)
- Outer space (The Science Center)
- Flying kites
- Hot air balloons (The Great Forest Park Balloon Race)
- Bicycling
Our objective was to create positive distraction and engage the hospital’s diverse populations with artwork that represents Forest Park’s popular cultural destinations and leisure activities.
The light-filled private inpatient rooms overlook the urban park and the bustling neighborhood of the Central West End. With nature as living artwork ARCH expanded upon the concepts of nature-based local art to create an uplifting, enriching, and engaging environment.
On each floor, we incorporated unique pieces tied to the floor’s theme. For the Boathouse-themed floor, ARCH commissioned a custom crayon mosaic of a koi fish pond by artist Herb Williams and hand-painted oars by St. Louis artist Alicia LaChance. For the zoo-themed floor, we commissioned custom paintings by Saint Louis Zoo animals, which are displayed next to a video showing the “local artists” at work. For the museum-themed floor, local artist Jennifer Hayes was commissioned to create a bright abstract painting depicting the traditional bronze statue of Louis IX of France standing outside the Saint Louis Art Museum.
Warm, wood-look metal frames and white, fire-retardant backing helped create a consistent, contemporary look throughout while adhering to the fire code. Finally, a series of custom collages unified the distinct visual elements: graphics, illustration, and photography.
