: : Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital Arts Project : :




	The Process: Timeline

	1997				Two day fact finding conference with Young Advisers Group and staff workshops

	1998				RACH Arts Project Group set up

	2001				Appointment of PACE

					Development of arts strategy Key aims and objectives: * create a welcoming, child and family focused environment; * carefully curate the work of artists into the hospital environment; * foster collaboration with the design team; * commission high quality, innovative and resolutely contemporary work; * commission work which is stimulating and relevant but does not upset or disturb; * engage children and young people of all ages (0–16) as well as adults (including staff); * engage the hospital and local community through a programme of education, advocacy and interpretation; * create a role model for hospital arts practice.

					Given the scale of the hospital (17,000 m2 over five floors), a finite budget and programme, the following areas were prioritised: * the most public areas, e.g. entrances, main circulation routes, main waiting areas; * areas difficult to access once the building is in operation e.g. courtyards; * areas with opportunities for integrated artworks e.g. flooring, wall outside chapel.

	2001/2				Successful awards from the three major funders Scottish Arts Council National Lottery, The ARCHIE Foundation and Aberdeen City Council.

	2002				Artists sourced and appointed After advertising through arts journals, arts organisations and also through direct invitation, approximately 150 applications from artists and designers were submitted. A shortlist of 25 was drawn up and from this ten artists were selected,with a further five selected in 2003.

	2002				Artists’ design development Artists encountered considerable challenges which included designing 5m high sculptures to fit through a set of double doors; and finding the most efficient way of applying 58,500 buttons to a curved wall.

	2003/4				Production and installation of artworks The skills of many different people were drawn upon to realise the works, including model makers, upholsterers, sign writers, button makers, plasterers, lighting designers, furniture makers, galvanisers, casters, welders, and scientific molecular model makers.

	June 2004				Launch of Arts Project

	2005 – ongoing				A continuous programme of projects and commissions will be developed with a view to siting work in the less public areas, i.e. treatment rooms, wards, theatres and staff areas.