THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 13, 1994 TAG: 9408120076
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERESA ANNAS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 134 lines
TODAY ONLY, Virginia Beach artist John Lasley might be spotted loitering incognito around his latest sculpture, straining to overhear uncensored reactions to his work.
You won't find Lasley, however, in a museum. Or a gallery. Or at an outdoor show.
He'll be lying low in the hermatology/oncology waiting room in the newly-expanded Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk.
Lasley's outrageously festive sculpture titled ``Karen's Reef'' is among several hundred works created by about 60 regional artists for permanent installation in the hospital.
Starting at 10 a.m., the public can view many of these works - along with the entire state-of-the-art facility - in a community open house. Self-guided tours will be conducted throughout the day.
You'll see a ceramic mural that mimics sand patterns by Pamela Lassiter of Norfolk, whose son Austin once had surgery at King's Daughters for tonsilitis.
You'll view paintings of zingy birds in rhythmic flight patterns by Norfolk's Norman Goodwin, who remembers being hospitalized as a child in drab, depressing surroundings.
Norfolk theater designer Gary Brown hand-crafted an authentic crabbing boat, with sails that kids can raise and lower while waiting in a second-floor outpatient clinic.
Chesapeake painter Geneva Beavers created folk art-style animal pictures that practically purr. And Virginia Beach artist Vicki Bruner's kooky critters could spur an ailing child to giggle.
Laughter and distraction are top priority with this art collection.
In the renovated hospital, ``art is being used to lessen the stressful events of hospitalization or treatment by making the environment child-friendly,'' explained Lisa Griffin, director of child life, a department focused on the emotional and psychological welfare of hospitalized youngsters.
Upbeat works by professional artists help relax and entertain adults and older siblings, Griffin said. And art by area schoolchildren that also will go on view should hold special appeal to patients.
``It is comforting to children to see evidence of other children in the hospital. They don't feel so alone, so assaulted,'' said Griffin, a member of the art committee.
``That feeling of isolation can cause a great deal of anxiety and fear. But here, they can look on the wall and somehow feel more connected,'' she said.
Anne Carlyle, an Ottawa designer who specializes in children's hospitals, said the use of art here is unique. She has designed eight children's hospitals in 15 years, and is familiar with trends in Canada and the United States.
``To spend a year in detailed planning and work for art in a children's hospital is very unusual,'' Carlyle said. ``Lots of children's hospitals incorporate art, but it's usually posters and reproductions.
``But to use such a variety, from original children's art to work by local artists in all media, is rare. And the fact that it's planned for throughout the building, not just in the front lobby.''
The art starts outside with public sculpture (a Matthew Fine marble sculpture is set in a garden), continues in the lobby and along hallways, is installed by elevators and in every exam and patient's room.
``I think it really does comunicate a message that this hospital cares about the children who are its patients,'' Carlyle said.
The artwork was commissioned more than a year ago. Hospital staff members mailed out invitations to several hundred artists. From submitted slides, a ten-member art committee selected about 60 artists to provide works appropriate to nine themes, from beach/water/waves to historical Virginia. Each floor has a designated theme.
Artists were given options on compensation: Many donated works, some received token fees, and others required full payment.
``Absolutely everything that could be done locally, was done locally,'' stressed Eleanor F. Bradshaw, art committee chair. By offering payment options, ``we wanted to give everyone in the art community an opportunity to participate.''
The offer struck area artists as golden.
``I get the feeling that every time an organization starts seriously thinking about spending money to decorate, they look to a larger metropolitan area,'' said Norfolk artist Ray Hershberger, who made five paintings for the hospital. ``Here was a case where the designer seemed to realize that kids would relate to the local environment, and that local artists can express that best.''
Vonnie Whitworth, a Virginia Beach realist painter, was the lone artist on the art committee. Her soothing image of children at play on a beach hangs in the emergency room.
``This project, to me, sent a positive message to the art community - that someone was taking local artists seriously,'' Whitworth said. ``They were not asking for donations. They were asking us to be a part of something significant.''
When Hershberger took on the high-profile project, he was excited by its caliber. Once he began painting, other impulses took over.
``I began to feel I really wanted to do something that would be healing. I felt this marvelous, inspired high while I was doing those pieces.''
Lasley also thought hard about imbuing his sculpture with therapeutic potential. ``I wrote this story about this elephant that jumps off a circus ship into the Atlantic, gets rescued by killer whales, then comes to this island,'' called ``Karen's Reef.''
Instead of a focus, Lasley said, there's a ``ton of activity. I wanted the kids to lose themselves in the different characters. On the ward where my work will be, kids have pretty serious ailments.''
Lasley counts himself lucky that his two sons have never been hospitalized. Working on the project, he said he ran into many parents whose children had been patients here.
In seeking a large oven to cure his sculpture, Lasley - aided by Barbara Henley, the hospital's development associate who coordinated the art project - found a pizza parlor in Moyock, N.C., that allowed him to cook his art.
The owner of Da Vinci's Pizza was enthusiastic, Lasley said, ``because his daughter had had a close call and was hospitalized there for a month or so. He said, `Anything you want, you got it.' '' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/Staff
Gary R. Brown and his son, Will, sit in a sailboat he built for a
waiting room.
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/Staff
John Lasley is one of about 60 artists whose works, including his
ceramic sculpture, will brighten Children's Hospital.
Pamela Lassiter - with her children, Austin, 8, left; Bailey, 6; and
Holt, 9 months - made this ceramic mural for the hospital.
JUST THE FACTS
What: Community open house for the expanded Children's Hospital
of The King's Daughters; tours include locally commissioned art.
Where: 601 Children's Lane, Norfolk
When: Today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Activities: Self-guided tours and children's entertainment
How much: free
Call: 668-7043
by CNB