Novant Health Initiative To Capitalize On The Healing Power Of The Arts

(QC Nerve, Ryan Pitkin and Annie Keough)— Pablo Picasso once said, “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” One new local art exhibit, however, is challenging that very notion.

In A Slice of Life: The Art of Everyday, local artists draw from the everyday moments and mementos that one may brush off as the dust, debris or detritus of monotony and instead focus in on its beauty and grace.

Fittingly, the exhibit is not showing in a flashy gallery in South End or a lounge in Uptown but on the walls of a cafeteria inside Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in the Elizabeth neighborhood, the Charlotte area’s second largest hospital.

Being a patient in care or watching someone you love go through care can become incredibly stressful, said Kristen Howard, VP of corporate affairs at Novant.

“By having these pieces [bring] life and interest and a break from what is happening in your clinical room when you come down to the cafeteria, it’s just an opportunity to step back, take a deep reach and increase that opportunity for healing,” she told Queen City Nerve.

Curated in partnership with nonprofit arts organization Charlotte is Creative, A Slice of Life is just one of many projects underway as part of Novant’s new Art of Remarkable Care initiative. The health care company announced the initiative’s launch in April with a $500,000 investment to explore the connection between art and healing.

With partnerships already in the works with The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, Charlotte Ballet and the Charlotte Symphony, Novant also plans to expand its focus on arts in its facilities, as with A Slice of Life.

The not-for-profit health care system will partner with Charlotte Is Creative to activate arts programming at seven facilities in the coming months, including hospitals and health centers in Ballantyne, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill and Rowan County.

“Our goal is to create a healthier future for Charlotte, and we recognize that well-being requires more than traditional medicine,” stated Dr. Sid Fletcher, senior vice president of the Novant system and president in the Charlotte region, in announcing the new initiative. “We have seen firsthand the remarkable impact art can have on our patients and their loved ones, and we’re proud to extend the reach of our local artists to create spaces of comfort and connection.

“Art is powerful; it can inspire healing, and when paired with the incredible expertise of our doctors and nurses, it can be transformative,” Fletcher continued. “This initiative, as well as our partnerships with the Charlotte Symphony and others, is part of our larger commitment to ensure our patients thrive.”

Curating A Slice of Life

Studies have shown exposure to and participation in the arts can play a role in lessening the severity of chronic pain, stress and anxiety. According to the American Journal of Public Health, consistent interaction with art, including intentionally listening to music, has been shown to increase immune system responsiveness.

Shana Templin, art support coordinator with Novant and an artist herself, first suggested that her employer offer local artists the chance to display their work for free in Novant Presbyterian’s cafeteria.

As an inevitable hub for hospital patients, family members and staff, Templin wanted to tap into a communal theme for the art, something that engaged a shared human experience, explained Tim Miner, co-founder of Charlotte Is Creative (CIC).

CIC has operated in the Charlotte arts market for almost 10 years providing programs, resources, training, connections and opportunities to emerging artists and creative entrepreneurs. The nonprofit also deals in project management, assisting companies and organizations to support the artistic community, which is how Miner came to be working with Templin.

“When we look at what our lives are in the everyday, that’s something that she was hoping was relational and could be a uniting factor for people while at the same time recognizing that everybody has a different vantage point and comes from a different background,” Miner said of Templin.

CIC helped Novant put out a call for art that lasted from April 23-May 7, inviting artists to submit up to two 2D artworks that celebrate the art of everyday life.

“This exhibit explores the extraordinary within the ordinary, showcasing works that highlight the charm, complexity and significance of everyday experiences,” the call read.

When we spoke to Howard on the last day of the call, there were about 230 submissions vying for 30 spots. Because the selected pieces in the exhibit will be for sale, with each artist maintaining 100% of any proceeds — Howard’s team is considering each work as it’s sold until the exhibit runs its course over six months.

A win-win for the arts community

As the fifth-largest employer in the Charlotte metro area, leadership is aware of the company’s responsibility to lead by example in a rapidly growing city, explained Howard.

“We understand that our commitment to health has to go beyond our clinic walls and we try to invest in the community as a whole,” she said.

Art of Remarkable Care is about more than just beautification for the sake of a more wraparound approach to health and healing; it’s also about funding an arts scene that is growing with the city around it but often doing so under financial constraints.

The new initiative not only allows Novant to support local artists and the economy by investing in works of art and paying performers to share their talents in its facilities, but to support more widespread arts programming around the city.

In collaboration with Charlotte Is Creative, Novant plans to offer many points of connection for local artists in the coming months including visual and performance art, art therapy, murals and wall art installations, and community-based arts events for vulnerable populations.

This is the aspect that got Miner and his team excited.

”There’s a true opportunity here to take [groups of artists] and present them opportunities inside of an unexpected place — in this case, a hospital facility — to do creative work, show off what they do, but also maybe interact with the various audiences that are in the facilities,” he said.

On top of working with individual artists to establish foundational skills, funding, social networks and promotional training, CIC hosts a wide array of innovative arts-centered events and programming.

That includes its monthly Creative Mornings gatherings; its Creative Entrepreneurs Initiative cohort, which provides business training and grant writing advice to local creatives; Charlotte Reciprocity Circles, which are billed as live, facilitated social capital exchange events; and the self-explanatory Coffee with Creatives.

Since 2017, CIC has distributed nearly 500 $250 grants from its HUG micro-grant program.

CIC’s mission is to broaden the opportunities and experiences that emerging creative entrepreneurs have, Miner said. The organization also provides artists with space to create by purchasing studio space at the McColl Center in four increments.

Read more: Divine Barrel Uplifts Local Arts Scene With Mural Collab

Working in multiple Novant facilities, including the 590-bed hospital where A Slice of Life is set to open, allows CIC a chance to help connect local artists with what is likely a larger audience than all of those opportunities combined.

“When people need to go into a hospital, they have trepidation or they’re dealing with something that’s very potentially traumatic or upsetting,” Miner said. “To be able to provide a work of art — be it a performance, or a piece of visual art or even a hands-on experience that lets them feel more at ease and feel more comfortable and repair their soul to a certain degree — that’s powerful.”