Mosaic Medical Center-Maryville and Northwest Missouri State University’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts are accepting submissions for an inaugural juried art exhibition.

The collaboration, “Art of Healing Galleries” represents an integration of the power of art with medicine. 

“During the pandemic, we have gained a deeper appreciation for the important role that hospitals play in our communities,” Dr. Karen Britt, a Northwest assistant professor of art history, said. “The collaboration between Northwest and MMC-Maryville is intended to support the vital work of the hospital. Research has clearly shown the therapeutic benefits of having contemporary art in a healthcare environment, and major national medical centers such as the Cleveland Clinic have developed vibrant art programs.”

Visual artists working in all media are invited to participate. Artists selected for participation in the spring exhibition will have their artwork displayed in the galleries for approximately six months.

The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. Friday, March 11. More information and forms for submission are available at www.nwmissouri.edu/finearts/art/Art-of-Healing/index.htm.

The “Art of Healing Galleries” exhibition opening, which is free and open to the public, is 5 p.m. Friday, April 8, at Mosaic Medical Center-Maryville, located at 2016 S. Main St. in Maryville.

“In the art program at Northwest, we stress to our students that art — including their own artwork — provides a window to human experience in all of its diversity,” Britt said. “It is our hope that the ‘Art of Healing Galleries’ will offer meaningful opportunities to engage with art for patients, their families, healthcare workers, and the broader community, who are warmly invited to visit the galleries.”

For more information, contact Ashleigh Erickson, curatorial intern, at s532902@nwmissouri.edu or Britt at kbritt@nwmissouri.edu.