The Art of Healing

In hospital spaces where life hangs in the balance and time feels suspended, art serves as both a mirror and a balm.

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford’s commitment to art’s vital role in the recovery process reflects the growing recognition of the therapeutic power of visual culture. When we talk about healing, we often focus on the physical. But healing is, of course, emotional and psychological as well—and that is where art steps in.

In environments like the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where parents are often in a state of heightened emotional stress, art offers something rare: the chance to slow down and reflect.

Healing in the NICU

In June 2022, Packard Children’s Hospital announced plans to modernize its obstetrics and neonatal facilities, marking the transition from having NICUs with large open rooms to private rooms—allowing patients to stay with their babies. This space will include 16 commissioned artworks, an initiative led by the hospital’s Art Committee. This group aims to support not only the physical recovery of our tiniest patients but also the emotional well-being of their families as well.

“When you’re a stressed parent, worrying about your little one, you don’t want to see healthy pictures of infants, says Antonia Dapena-Tretter, art curator. “But at the same time, the Art Committee and I want the space to feel warm, welcoming, and a bit like a nursery. So, the colors are lightly saturated, bright, and happy. We are celebrating the bond between parents and babies.”

The artworks are rooted in themes of connection, devotion, and protection. Each piece offers a visual language that underscores the strength of the parent-child bond, while remaining mindful of the delicate nature of the NICU environment. Through color, texture, and symbolism, these works speak to the complex emotions of nurturing and vulnerability.

Celebrating the parent-child bond

Among the compelling works in the collection are Devotion and California Quail Family, both of which depict parent animals gazing lovingly at their offspring. Referencing wildlife in Northern California, Devotion depicts gray foxes, native to this region of the state.

Devotion stands as a masterful embodiment of care and connection, crafted entirely from sustainably sourced seashells. Artist: Anna Chan

The piece showcases the unbreakable bond between a parent and their offspring. This unity is felt through their gaze and the subtle touching of their tails, which form a triangle. That shape symbolizes balance and stability. Together, the parent and child rest in a nest of flowers secure in each other’s company.

Artist Anna Chan’s work pays homage to nature, depicting wildlife in bas-reliefs. Chan uses beach finds in her artwork and finds true beauty in these natural materials from her coastal surroundings. She transforms items like shells into what appears like brushstrokes. Her art aims to display a childlike quality and evoke joyful memories of the sea.

California Quail Family, a second piece in the body of art, highlights two parent quail surrounded by their chicks in a brightly colored painting.

The label for California Quail Family invites the viewer to count how many baby quail they can find in the piece. Artist: Starla Michelle Halfmann

Starla Michelle Halfmann grew up living on a farm in West Texas. She chased butterflies, collected shells, glass, and rocks – whatever she found interesting and beautiful. Immersed in nature, she felt wonder all around and attempts to capture that wonder in her art.

A collage of love and friendship

While Friends doesn’t literally depict the bond between parent and child, it is made from children’s book illustrations. It reminds viewers of reading to their child. The text incorporated from the book’s pages is all about friendship and love, as the title suggests.

Most of the leaves in Friends depict animals. Artist: Lisa Kokin

Artist Lisa Kokin brings a fiber sensibility and a conceptual approach to a diverse array of materials, including fabrics, paper, metal, and shredded money.

Art as an act of healing

The infusion of art into the newly envisioned NICU space is more than just an aesthetic choice; it is a commitment to offering comfort, hope, and connection during what can be one of the most challenging times in a family’s life.