The Pathway to 144 Mental Health Beds project (the P144 Project) is a direct response to the recommendations arising from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, which called for an additional 144 acute inpatient public mental health beds to help address critical pressures within the mental health system in Victoria.
As part of the P144 Project, the Sunshine Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre (SMH&WC) Project will deliver an additional 52 adult inpatient mental health beds to work towards addressing the current high demand for beds, enable the development of contemporary models of care and strengthen the focus on recovery and reintegration into the community.
The links between art and health outcomes around the world are well documented. Hospitals internationally and across Australia recognise the importance of art in the psychology of healing and wellbeing. Art has a clear contribution to make and offers significant opportunities in the delivery of better health, wellbeing and improved experience for consumers, service users and staff.
The emphasis for the public art in this context is about creating an innovative ‘residential’ feel as opposed to a banal clinical environment. In addition to an audience of consumers, the artwork will be viewed by families, carers, support people and hospital staff. There is also the desire to make the artwork inspiring and engaging for the benefit of all service users.
Arts Eleven has been engaged to work with the SMH&WC Art Reference Group to identify suitable artists to create works for up to 25 sites throughout the new building.
This opportunity is open to all artists who reside in Australia. First Nations artists, artists from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, artists with lived experience of disability and artists with lived experience of mental health issues are encouraged to apply.