Artist in Residence at MLK Hospital: Evaluation and Lessons Learned

Artist Sandy Rodriguez was placed as an artist in residence at the Recuperative Care Center (RCC) at the Martin Luther King Medical Campus in Willowbrook, CA, in 2016-17. This residency was part of a $1.6 million investment in Civic Art funded through LA County's Percent for Art Policy. The Center provides interim housing to homeless patients who would otherwise remain in the hospital because they could not be discharged. Rodriguez was given the task of developing a “meaningful, sustainable program for the Recuperative Care Center that will engage staff and clients and create artwork to be displayed at the facility.”

This internal evaluation of the residency found that Rodriguez created a workshop structure that was relevant to the needs of the RCC and its clients. RCC staff were

  • Extremely enthusiastic about the artist
  • Able to clearly articulate the program’s benefits for clients
  • Enjoyed participating in the workshops
  • Want to continue the workshops but are experiencing barriers

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