Jamaica Hospital recently hosted its 2024 Annual Art Exhibit from March 4th to March 8th, showcasing a variety of creations from art therapy patients and faculty. Each year, the art exhibit displays a collection patient artwork from throughout the previous year. Some of the artwork featured this year included drawings, paintings, mixed media, and sculptures. The title for this year’s art exhibit was “A Space for Hope.”
“We decided on this theme because we wanted to bring the idea that having hope is still possible during difficult times,” said Michelle Anne Hololob, Director of the Creative Art Therapy Internship and Externship Training Program at Jamaica Hospital. “The last several years have been filled with such unrest, illness, fear and anger; more than ever, the world feels unbalanced. This theme allowed for patients to create a space in their minds where things could be better and don’t have to stay the same; we can still hope for change.”
Most of the pieces featured at the Art Exhibit were created by patients at Jamaica Hospital during the course of their treatment. In one particular case, a patient who had heard about the show after their discharge asked for their post-discharge artwork to be displayed as a showcase of the emotional regulation they found through art-making.
One particular piece noted by Hololob was a collection of 1,000 folded paper cranes; in Japanese culture, these are referred to as “senbazuru,” which are believed to grant a wish or bring hope to a person. “We collectively folded 1,000 paper cranes as a statement of hope for the hospital,” said Hololob. “These cranes fly as a symbol to our patients and staff that, as long as we have a little hope, things in life can get better.”
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s art exhibit. We look forward to seeing what our patients and staff create next year!