Indianapolis City Hospital Project

The Indianapolis City Hospital Project was a public art project in which 16 well-known Indiana artists were commissioned to create murals within the Indianapolis City Hospital. The project was led by William Forsyth and began in 1914.[1][2]

History

In 1911, the Indianapolis City Hospital expanded by adding two dedicated patient units. The new buildings were named the Burdsal Units after the benefactor, a wealthy businessman named Alfred Burdsal.[1][2] St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild, a local women’s volunteer group dedicated to supporting the City Hospital, donated money for the decoration of the new wards.[1][3] The Guild consulted with Dr. T. Victor Keene, president of the City Board of Health. Keene began talking to local artists, including Wayman Adams, and a large-scale mural project began to develop.[1] William Forsyth was given a position in the project as the project supervisor. Though the salary was equivalent to union painter wages at the time, many celebrated Indiana artists joined the project in the effort to create a welcoming environment for healing and wellness.[2][4] During the project, many of the artists lived in the hospital and ate the hospital kitchen’s food to subsidize costs.[5] The Guild, the City Board of Health, and many other donors supported this project at the cost of roughly $10,000.[1] The City Hospital project opened to the public on November 28, 1914.[4] Currently only a few of these murals remain on display at Eskenazi Health, including sections of Four Seasons by TC Steele.[2] Many of the other murals were lost or damaged during the multiple remodeling projects on the City Hospital/Wishard campus, though there have been several campaigns for conservation and restoration of the murals.[1][2][4][6][7]

History of the hospital

The Indianapolis City Hospital was established as a response to smallpox in 1859 and was also a Union Army hospital during the American Civil War.[6] For quite a while, this hospital was run by the U.S. Army. After the war, the city of Indianapolis again took charge. In 1947, the City Hospital became the Marion County General Hospital, and served the public in both Indianapolis and Marion County.[6] In 1975, as part of an effort to improve the hospital's image, the name was changed to Wishard Memorial Hopsital, recognizing Dr. William N. Wishard, a leading physician in Indianapolis at the time.[6] In 2011, Sidney and Lois Eskenazi made a donation of $40 million, roughly two years after 85% of Marion County voters voted to build a new facility. As a result, the name of the hospital was changed to the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital.

Artists Represented

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nagler, Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko ; with essays by Katherine C.; Hale, Hester Anne (2004). The art of healing : the Wishard art collection. Indianapolis, IN: Indiana Historical Society Press in cooperation with the Wishard Memorial Foundation. ISBN 0871951711.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Tharp, Kelsey. "IU employees work to save hidden murals from former Wishard Hospital". Art at IU. The Trustees of Indiana University. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  3. ↑ "St. Margaret's Hospital Guild". St. Margaret's - Eskenazi Heath - Indianapolis. Eskenazi Health. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Rayburn, Kelly (21 Aug 2004). "Art for the people is now in limbo". Indianapolis Star.
  5. ↑ Burnett, Mary (1921). Art and Artists of Indiana. New York: Century.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Hale, Hester (1999). Caring for the Community: The History of Wishard Hospital. Indianapolis, IN: Wishard Memorial Foundation.
  7. ↑ O'Connell, Christine. "Preserving a legacy: Wishard Hospital Murals". Indianapolis Museum of Art Blog. Indianapolis Museum of Art. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
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