Local artwork at UCI Health — Irvine add tranquility, aid patient healing
Pieces provide sense of familiarity and comfort, along with a connection to nature
IN THE NEWS: The UCI Health –– Irvine medical complex is home to something unique: an art gallery that helps to create a meditative space for patients and visitors who travel to the campus to receive care.
Ellen Khoudari, senior project manager with UCI Health Planning Administration, spoke with Culture OC about how art aids the healing process.
“If you can show people something that they’re familiar with, that they’re accustomed to, that is a vibe that they can understand, the connection for them helps them to stay calm.”
She also spoke about the overall theme of the art displayed throughout the UCI Health –– Irvine campus.
“The central philosophy of the initiative is ‘nature and nurture.’ We encourage people to connect with nature, while also promoting healing through the power of art.”
Costa Mesa resident and former Irvine Valley College art instructor Jeff Horn touched on the meaning behind his painting, “Dawn of a New Day,” which depicts Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach, a few miles from UCI Health –– Irvine.
“When I was first a high school student, (Crystal Cove) was called the Horse Ranch …. This entire area was denuded of plant life and animal life, other than the horses, and it was just a dust bowl when the Santa Anas would come through. It’s wonderful that Crystal Cove is now a state park, thanks to California, the Park Service and the James Irvine Foundation.”
Additional Orange County-based artists with pieces on display at the UCI Health –– Irvine medical campus include Jason Li, Marcus A. Thesing, Carolyn Johnson, Fay Wyles and more.
About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,461-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Health — Orange, its flagship hospital, the UCI Health — Irvine acute care hospital and medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Health — Orange provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).