As part of an ongoing residency hosted by Paula Most, Coordinator for the Arts at Lifespan and Linda Goodale, Child Life Specialist at Pediatric Intensive Care, we have been familiar faces on the wards at the Hasbro Children's Hospital these past two years. During our time at the hospital we have created work for the Regional Conference of Art and Healing, World Children's Day and the Tanya Trinkhaus Glass Artist-In-Residence program.

Here are a collection of stories describing a few of our experiences as Tape Artist's on rounds, along with an interview with Paula that explores some of the questions most commonly asked about our work done in hospital environments.

Batman vs. The Karate Kid - If only these two film greats could meet on the big screen, we know of one teenager whose wish had come true. Before entering the room we had been informed that the patient had a strong affinity toward Batman and the Karate Kid, and as confirmation of that theme we found him sitting up in bed, alert and enthusiastic, watching the Karate Kid part 2. Below the TV was a blank space. We had to ask though "what would you like to see on your walls?" Without hesitation, the theme of 'Batman' was chosen. But he was not going to get away that easily. What pose? Is this a camp 60's Batman or a slick 90's Batman? Where is he going and what is he doing? The young man went on to actively compose a Batman that was a knowledgeable combination of the most popular versions of this superhero.

Tackle So, you want "Football"? How many players? Are the catching? Are they receiving? O.K., two players, are they tackling each other or are they on the same team? How is he tackling, then? Feet in the air? On the ground? Are these big guys? Are they guys? Which football player? All right, what does he look like? How tall? How much does he weigh? Is the football in the guys hand? Being knocked out? Are their shoes tied or untied? How do you draw the front of a helmet? Can you draw it for me with your finger in space? Good, now this guys legs are going to go onto the door, should we draw on the door? All right, can you show me with your arms how you want the legs to bend? And the other? Can you describe for me what kind of padding these guys wear and where we should draw it? Looks good, anything else you would like to add? Great, well, there you have it, I hope you enjoy your football players.

By the Sea Shore - It was Tabitha's first time in the hospital and she was pretty overwhelmed and distressed. After some initial reassurance that we weren't going to anything to her, we simply started drawing. Her curiosity was piqued. Before too much ado, we started with a portrait of a little girl - Tabitha in fact - modeling in the face and hair. Casually, as we were still working on her bangs, we asked "Where is your favorite place?" She promptly responded "The sea!" "And what do you like doing at the sea?"... and for this one Tabitha's mom pitched in and explained that she really enjoyed cavorting in the waves. So before long, Tabitha was drawn sitting at the sea's edge dabbling her toes in the waves, holding a balloon. The Tape Art drawing seemed to temporarily transport Tabitha to the sea.

Zorro - Clarke was curious but noncommittal when we walked in. Sure, he'd like a drawing, but of what... well, whatever we wanted to do. We started with a self portrait of Clarke, who had a really interesting profile, a real find for the silhouette style we use. Through the course of chatting away while we worked, we got a picture of a very active and quietly charismatic young man - and I suddenly had a vision of what an excellent 'Zorro' Clarke would make. Before long, after some negotiation about stance, sword type and cloak length, a swashbuckling hero was completed.

"I have two sisters," we were told, "they're not here right now." His mom went on to tell us that his sisters were also around his age, teenagers and perhaps they were coming to visit soon. The discussion about the sisters segued into the subject matter for his mural - portraits of his two sisters. Of course, this presents an interesting challenge for the artists because we have never seen the sisters and neither mom or son had a photo of the female duo, so it was up to them to describe the two to us. The next half an hour was a wonderful and bizarre mix of family members trying to piece together exactly what their loved one's looked like. We simply took commands, fine-tuning the height, the clothes, the posture and the hair. As we neared closer to "perfection", the mother and son team discussed and came to agreemente on the floppiness of the sister's hats and how big the eyeglasses were. They had done it. Later that afternoon one of the sisters came to visit. The similarity between the drawing and this particular sibling was a real tribute to the work that had gone into describing her. We never got to see the other sister, but we walked away knowing that we had a really good idea of what she looked like.

An Interview with Paula Most

Most - "Please describe Tape Art and why you have chosen to work in hospitals."
Tape Artists - "Tape Art began with the simple realization you could use tape - tape much like masking tape or painter's tape - to draw on virtually any surface and remove it without a trace. In terms of the hospital environment, this has a particularly useful implication - it means you can utilize the spaces within sight of a bed-bound patient as blank canvases. By drawing on a patient's wardrobe door, window, ceiling or wall, you are enabling a patient to personalize their space and make it home. We have been surprised at how much impact Tape Art has in this environment and have felt almost obligated to share these findings."

Most - "By walking in and offering your skills as image makers, I have seen you enable patients to interact and be creative without draining too much of their own limited resources of energy. But how easy do you find it creating a rapport with the patients?"
Tape Artists - "We try to mix enthusiasm and really focused listening and drawing. Our process demands a lot of playing-it-by-ear, as each patient requires a different kind of approach. We have found even as complete strangers that we can walk in to a patient's room and say something like - "Hello would you mind if I come in? I'm a Tape Artist and I would love to draw something with you" - and even the most depressed and lethargic patient is drawn in to some degree, by curiosity if nothing else. Generally we then ask the patient what they would like to see on their wall and go about working together to making that a reality. Initially they may be a bit gruff and say something like, "Hey, that's not what a tree looks like," but before long they find themselves enjoying the director's chair and settle into the role of visual choreographer."

Most - "What do you find patients most often ask you to draw?"
Tape Artists - "Many love to see themselves drawn with absent friends and family or in environments they especially enjoy or miss. Some like a fantasy twist and like to transform themselves into basketball greats, princes or princesses and astronauts. Others like to create imaginary friends and worlds - we've created many a friendly tyrannosaurus rex plus lots of unicorns and fairies."

Most -"Your drawings are created using silhouette - why is that?"
Tape Artists - "Our signature style for the past several years in large public murals and smaller interior murals has been realistic life-sized silhouettes. We have found the resonance of a silhouetted profile is surprisingly intense - and helpful in terms of being able to create a compelling representational scene in a matter of minutes. Our silhouettes tend to emphasize gesture, form, action and interaction of bodies in architectural spaces rather than details or surfaces. It is almost closer to sculpture installation than it is to drawing."

Most - "Even once you have gone, I have noticed that the resonance and significance of just having a drawing on the wall goes on, as patients get a chance to reflect on it and enjoy their creation and the attention of people interested in seeing what they have made."
Tape Artists - "Yes, this process gives patients a unique opportunity to feel that they have a sense of control over their own environment and a chance to express themselves and show themselves as individuals."

Most - "Why do you remove your work so soon, leaving it up for only a few days?"
Tape Artists - "When we do Murals-on-Request we like the work to be kept up for as long as the patient is in the hospital and then be taken down. The drawing was, after all, the creation of that particular person and just wouldn't have the same meaning for anyone else. But otherwise any work we do as professional public artists has the life-span of 24 hours. We believe in the value of process and we like the poignancy of creating highly ephemeral drawings. We have found that, if anything, removing our work heightens their effectiveness as people really notice their arrival and their passing."

Paula Most is the Coordinator for the Arts at Lifespan, Rhode Island Hospital / Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, RI, and provides consultation on all matters pertaining to the arts to all the other Lifespan affiliates in Providence and Boston. She is the Director of the Museum on Rounds Arts Program for patients at Hasbro Children's Hospital and for Arts on Rounds, an art program for adults at Rhode Island Hospital and the Miriam Hospital. Ms. Most is a board member of the Society for the Arts in Healthcare.

Linda Goodale is a Child Life specialist at Pediatric Intensive Care at Hasbro Children's Hospital.

See Hope in Oklahoma City for our experiences of the healing aspects of Tape Art in times of need.

Back to Hospitals for an overview of how Tape Art works in health care settings.