PRESS RELEASE

Art Connection at Beverly Hospital 

Montserrat College of Art's Art Connection Program and Beverly Hospital Team up to Change Patient &Visitor Experience, One Wall at a Time

October 20, 2011 (Beverly, MA) - Montserrat College of Art's Art Connection program which provides art to area non-profit organizations, has launched its first public program in the cafeteria at Beverly Hospital.

Begun in Boston by artist Fay Chandler, the Art Connection facilitates increased access to and more meaningful experiences with original works of art, all of which is donated by area artists. By placing works in community and public service organizations on the North Shore, Montserrat College of Art's Art Connection aims to enhance the number and quality of art experiences with our immediate community.

The original Art Connection in Boston, conceived by Chandler in 1995, has donated more than 4900 works of art to more than 300 non-profit agencies. Building on and maintaining this momentum, Montserrat College of Art has opened a branch program on the North Shore.

"We are proud delighted to be able to showcase such amazing works of art. The Montserrat College of Art's Art Connection is a unique community collaboration and we are very grateful to the staff at Montserrat and the artists for affording us such a unique opportunity," said Gerald MacKillop of Beverly Hospital.

Thanks to the spearheading of Montserrat Trustee Henrietta Gates, Montserrat College of Art Galleries' Assistant Curator of Education Maggie Cavallo was connected with MacKillop, the public relations manager of Northeast Health System regarding an installation of original artworks in the Beverly Hospital Cafeteria.  Over the summer, works were chosen and installed, an unveiling was held in October.

"It was so thoughtful, and yet very characteristic of the Montserrat community, for Henrietta to make this connection for us," Cavallo explained, "It was a great experience installing the work and improving the aesthetic experience of being in the hospital. It's amazing what can happen when you enrich blank walls with original works of art!"

Eleven works out of 150 choices were picked for the installation. They include four pieces by Art Connection's founder Fay Chandler, a series of photographs by recent Montserrat alumna Cecelia Pettigrew, a drawing by senior Georgia Bolender, and works by guest artists.

The relationships that are founded through Montserrat College of Art's Art Connection are symbiotic. Recipient agencies and clients will benefit from the increased presence of art in their lives and the Montserrat community is offered a safe and meaningful way to donate work.