RxART UNVEILS FINE ART INSTALLATION AT NYU CHILD STUDY CENTER Original Fine Art by Leading Contemporary Artists

June 12, 2006 (PRLEAP.COM) Entertainment News
3 works, including a large drawing by artist Will Cotton, an American artist known for his whimsical interpretations of candy; a drawing of airplanes by American painter Billy Copley known for his bold, colorful images; and a photograph by John Margolies have been placed in the “All Purpose Room”. Two Dominik Lejman daylight video installations are placed side by side in a patient waiting area. The work, by the renowned young artist from Poland, includes overlapping images of jellyfish.

American artist Ryan McGinness was commissioned by RxArt to create a site-specific installation for the NYU Child Study Center. Using the Center's logo and publicity materials, as well as information from a visit to the center and talks with their staff, McGinness created a large number of unique images, integrating his iconographic themes and color. The work, which was installed in April, 2006, begins near an open staircase on the first floor and continues up the stairwell to the second floor, spilling out onto adjacent walls.

Additionally, RxArt has installed work by the New York-based Brazilian artist Assume Vivid Astro Focus (aka Eli Sudbrack) on the second floor. The installation features three large vinyl decals, one of butterflies, one of paint dripping up rather than down, and one of an imaginary abstract landscape. The decals vary in size, some as large as 8 feet tall by 10 feet wide. The decals work in concert with one another to create a fantasy environment. The work was installed in May 2006.

“We could not be more pleased with the projects we will complete this year. All of these installations center on children, which is a major focus for RxArt at this time,” says RxArt President Diane Brown. “These wonderful artists have helped create a warmer, more welcoming and inspiring environment for children and their families at the NYU Child Study Center,” said Harold S. Koplewicz, M.D., founder and director of the NYU Child Study Center. “RxArt has fostered a creative, playful and fun atmosphere for our patients and clinicians,” he added.

RxArt was founded in 2000 by former gallerist Diane Brown, with the mission to purchase fine art and install it in healthcare settings to create more therapeutic environments for healing. Since its inception, RxArt has worked with an artistic selection team drawn from some of the country's top museums, to place work by numerous artists (including original works by Vito Acconci, Julie Mehretu, Matthew Ritchie, Wolfgang Tillmans and William Wegman, and more) in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, outpatient facility, and recovery centers, as well as commissioning original, often technically ambitious projects for these sites. In late 2005, RxArt launched the first RxArt Coloring Book, a 64-page book which features work by 27 artists including Donald Baechler, John Baldessari, R. Crumb, Keith Haring, Gary Hume, Sol Lewitt, Tom Otterness, Alexis Rockman, Kenny Scharf, and more. RxArt distributed 10,000 coloring books with crayons to children in healthcare facilities free of charge.

RxArt supports the belief that artistic excellence should not be compromised while working in healthcare contexts and that art's potential to contribute to a healing environment is one that is real and crucial. For further information about RxArt, visit http://www.rxart.net. For press inquires please contact either Mohamed Alladin (mohamed@companyagenda.com) or Gina Nanni (gina@companyagenda.com) at 212-358-9516.