From Dunny Walls to Hospital Wards (Part 3)
3 MIN READ
In part two, the path from dunny walls to hospital wards took an unexpected (but joyful) turn: How does local recognition lead to impact beyond the wide horizons of home??
The work at Wagga Base Hospital opened conversations I hadn't anticipated.
People weren't just responding to the finished installation - they were recognising the co-creation process itself as an important part of the healthcare journey.
Throughout 2023-2025, as the artist working on Griffith Base Hospital's redevelopment program, specifically their Paediatric In-Patient Unit local students and clinical users were involved in the co-creation process.
In response to drawings, stories, (and handwritten notes slipped across tables), communities were woven into the fabric of healthcare spaces.
I presented to arts working groups and curatorial teams, threading co-creation themes into interior design, curatorial strategy, and clinical contexts.
The thinking and feeling that supported the outputs was valuable for the final outcome.
At the open day in June 2025, watching people recognise parts of their community, and feel like they were truly listened to, made the art come to life. With the community at the centre and their peers reflected in voice and in colour, the artwork is timeless.
As part of the Griffith Base Hospital Art Collection, 'Are We There Yet?' is now a digital artwork installed as 90m2 of envirographics along with bespoke resources to support models of care.
Through this experience as an artist embedded into teams, I understand how co-creation amplifies voices in vulnerable and diverse communities. The question then became... where else could this co-creation approach work?
Unfortunately, the answer is more nuanced than I can fit into another series.
These kinds of questions deserve more space for reflection.