BEDFORD, Ohio — Art can transform a space and offer a sense of belonging. Those are just a couple reasons a local hospital system partnered with a Cleveland art gallery.
“Not only do we provide a space where people can enjoy and participate in health and wellness, it was very important for us that we created a place where people can see themselves and so the artwork at the wellness center reflects the health and wellness of the community,” University Hospitals Director of Community Health Engagement in the Office of Government and Community Relations, Lena Grafton, PhD, said.
The wellness centers showcase work from local Black artists. The facilities are located in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood and the city of Bedford.
UH partnered with Deep Roots Experienceto find the artists for the collection. It’s an art gallery in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood at the corner of E. 79th Street and Central Avenue.
“We work exclusively with Black and brown artists, we have been there for five years curating the culture as we say, telling the story of the Black and brown experience through artwork and inviting people in to share that experience with us,” said Owner and Lead Curator, David Ramsey.
“[Grafton] gave me a call and said hey, 'we have these spaces, we could really use some artwork in,’ and it was an opportunity that I knew would be valuable for the artists themselves to give them an opportunity to become part of a corporate collection here in the City of Cleveland, especially one like University Hospitals, which is known globally.”
Grafton said these centers help to fill in the gaps.
“These are spaces where people can come to address their chronic conditions, so if they would like more information about how do I prepare healthy meals, if they would like a place to come to socialize and do some physical activity, this is a place where they can come and do line dancing, they can come and do hip hop aerobics, they can come and learn about financial wellness,” she said.
“It’s one thing for a physician to say, I need you to exercise more but often times there’s a lack of opportunity for people to do that, so we’re taking away barriers.”
