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About
the Collection
The Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is the largest public health
system in the United States. It provides comprehensive medical, dental,
mental health and substance abuse services to New York City residents,
regardless of their ability to pay. Through six regional health care
networks, the Corporation operates 11 acute care Hospitals, five long-term
care facilities, six diagnostic and treatment centers, over 100 community
based clinics and a home health agency serving most areas of New York
City. In 1983, the Health and Hospitals Corporation initiated the first,
public art management program for its extensive collection of works
of art. With more than 5,000 works in the Collection, and an estimated
value of several million dollars the program was established as a result
of the Corporation's growing collection. Its mission is to ensure the
preservation and care of the collection of works for the benefit of
future generations, and to provide curatorial guidance for new acquisitions
and donations.
These tasks are accomplished through the development of a comprehensive
maintenance and conservation program and active participation in the
Percent for Art Program of the New York City Department of Cultural
Affairs. The program evolved into the HHC Art Program in 1986 and was
made part of the Office of the President of HHC. Now the program is
referred to as the HHC Art Collection. Today the collection houses a
variety of works from well-known artists such as Ansel Adams, Candida
Alvarez, Romare Bearden, Ilya Bolotowsky, Red Grooms, David Hammons,
Al Held, Helen Frankenthaler, Sol LeWitt, Louise Nevelson, Wayne Thiebaud,
Rafael Tufino, James VanDerZee and many more. The Corporation has also
been working with conservator Alan Farancz while conserving many WPA
Murals and other projects.
In the past years HHC has received donations from the National Endowment
for the Arts, the Agnes Gund Foundtion, the Municipal Art Society, the
Hammer Gallery and 3M. The HHC Art Collection has also been the recipient
of some fabulous art gifts. Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center
is the site of an original Keith Haring mural which he painted in 1986,
only 5 years previous to his passing, as a gift for the hospital. The
mural contains the only self-portrait ever painted by Haring. Also the
Art Collection has received donations from artists, Evelyn Eller and
Milton Lederman.
The Collections Network Art Administrator works with the Executive Directors
of 22 HHC facilities, their art liaisons and capital planning staff
to commission, purchase or restore works of art for these sites. A vital
component to managing the collection is documentation; including registration,
cataloguing and photographing every piece that is in or received into
the collection. This thorough inventory of the works allows the Art
Collection to maintain the most current condition reports on each work
of art. It also serves as a database that helps to launch exhibits,
which are part of the HHC Art Collection outreach to enhance public
and staff understanding and appreciation for the collection as well
as its most important goal, to achieve satisfaction in patient care.
The City of New York owns all works of art that are part of the HHC
Art Collection. Although the HHC Art Collection is maintained by the
Health and Hospitals Corporation and housed throughout HHC facilities,
all works of art belonging to the HHC Art Collection are owned by the
City of New York and should not be relocated, removed, or altered in
any way, without the express permission of the Art Commission of the
City of New York.
For
additional information contact:
Gregory Mink
Network Art Administrator
NYC Health & Hospitals Corp.
gregory.mink@nychhc.org
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