Client: Stamford Health

Overview

The Stamford Hospital Project team selected artist Gordon Huether to design and create an architectural art glass wall for their new facility's Carey Interfaith Chapel. The installation is made up of seven individual, handcrafted panels that each measure approximately 60″W x 120″H.

Goals

As a Planetree patient-centered facility, Gordon was chosen in part for his understanding of the vision to create a thoughtful piece that matched the philosophy of the hospital and its staff. The artist has a long career in the creation of art installations for healthcare environments and his previous art glass work was a key consideration in his selection for this project. The art glass wall evokes a sense of peace and calmness and conveys an uplifting sense of healing and well-being. The installation functions as both a focal point for the Chapel space as well as an artistic wall element and wayfinding for the main hospital concourse.

Process

Stamford Health facilities, including the new hospital, implement the Planetree model to focus on patient centered care. Taking into consideration the patient’s emotional, mental and physical needs when treating them, the Planetree approach was instrumental in Huether’s conceptual process for the hospital Chapel art glass wall. In collaboration with the client, Huether developed a design that is inspired by nature and its known effect to soothe the mind, body and spirit. The radiant blue art glass details, reminiscent of gently flowing water in a creek, evoke a sense of peace and calmness and conveys an uplifting sense of healing and well-being. Partially etched glass provides privacy yet allows natural light to enter the meditation space, a fundamental feature to heighten the sense of hope, tranquility and spirituality. Both sides of this art glass installation have been treated with hand-cut, fused glass elements. Artisans at Gordon Huether Studio combined art glass techniques such as laminating, etching and fusing resulting in a powerful art installation that supports the purpose and use of this non-denominational meditation space.

Additional Information

Gordon Huether believes that artwork placed in healthcare environments should have subtle and contemplative qualities, creating a sense of calm. At the same time, the artwork should be thought provoking, engaging and communicate something relevant to the viewer. Thoughtful integration and placement of artwork in healthcare settings can significantly affect the healing process and can complete, complement and improve hospital chapels, meditation rooms and other healthcare settings.