NYC Health + Hospitals stewards one of the largest and most significant public art collections in the country, with over 8,000 works spanning nearly a century. Originating from New Deal-era WPA commissions, the collection grew through key initiatives like the Percent for Art program, bringing diverse, museum-quality art into clinical settings. Featuring artists such as Romare Bearden and Helen Frankenthaler, the collection reflects the cultural richness of NYC’s communities. Today, under the Arts in Medicine department, it continues to thrive— integrating art, healing, and public health through exhibitions, conservation, and community-focused commissions.
Timeline of Arts & Medicine (1930 – 2025)
1930 – WPA (Works Progress Administration) 1970s – Health + Hospitals acquires <3,000 artworks 1970s-1980s – Arts Program Funding 1980 – Health + Hospitals maintains one of the largest public art collections 1996 – Health + Hospitals art collection decentralized 2001 – Health + Hospitals became the first public agency to develop a digital database for art collection 2009 – First project with RxArt 2018 – Arts in Medicine created as permanent, centralized Quality & Safety division 2019 – the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund expands community outreach and programming Community Mural Program established 2021 – launch of the HHArt of Medicine program 2022-2023 – Scaled collection; programming; exhibition strategy; intern program; research arm established; NYTimes profile; Bloomberg Connections 2024 – Health Justice Initiative Civic Engagement Strategy 2025 (today) – should somehow encapsulate the scale to which we have grown: Health Justice, Exhibitions; Intern Program; Research and Evaluation, WHO collaboration etc. Precision Model Social Prescribing Project HoME Mural Evaluation
