Art Inspired by Beloved Children's Books

"Medicine for the soul." This description of books and their power to heal inspired a broad collection of art throughout the Bloomberg Children’s Center. Created by artists from across the country, the sculptures, collages, dioramas, photographs, and paintings celebrate books like Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon and E.B. White's Stuart Little. Artists selected children’s books that were meaningful to them as inspiration for a whimsical variety of original artworks to amuse and entertain children and their families.

Art Inspired by Nature and the Garden

More than fifty artists have use nature as an inspiration for original artworks on permanent display in the Sheikh Zayed Tower. From landscape images to detailed depictions of flower petals and rocks, nature-inspired art helps bring tranquility and softens the clinical setting for patients and families.

Artistic Wayfinding: Color Themes and Art for Elevator Lobbies

Art and color themes help patients and visitors find their way. The color blue was chosen for the Bloomberg Children’s Center and the color green for the Sheikh Zayed Tower. The moment you step off an elevator, the palette of colors will tell you where you are.

Each elevator lobby also features original artwork. In the Bloomberg Children’s Center, art inspired by children’s books delights our youngest patients and provides their families with memorable ‘landmarks.’ In the Zayed Tower, art inspired by nature and the garden is located outside each elevator bank and displayed throughout waiting rooms, corridors, and staff work stations, bringing an element of peace to the busy hospital setting.

Fun with the Alphabet

Baltimore artist Lauren P. Adams worked with children staying at The Johns Hopkins Hospital to create an artful upper-case alphabet to be displayed in the Bloomberg Children’s Center. Adams taught the children a technique called papel picado, for creating paper cut-outs, which were transformed into colorful silkscreens by Baltimore Print Studios. Additional alphabet-themed artworks include Scott Teplin's Alphabet for Alphaville, a playful set of letters featuring intricate and fanciful scenes, and Jeffrey Mitchell's ABCDEFGHI<3U.  

The alphabet theme continues outside the Bloomberg Children’s Center, where the 26 colors that artist Spencer Finch used on the hospital’s giant curtain wall are displayed in alphabetical order by color name.