Art has the power to move us. It can soothe our souls and shift our perspectives. Not surprisingly, then, research reveals that art has a positive effect on health. We on the Island are fortunate to experience this firsthand at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, which boasts a unique collection of artwork. Every one of the more than 1,000 pieces in the Edward F. Miller and Monina von Opel Art Collection was created by an artist connected to the Island. All were donated, most often by the artists themselves, creating a collection grounded in the community.
According to the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, studies have shown that simply observing art can boost serotonin and increase blood flow to the brain. You can immediately feel this effect when walking into the hospital’s main entrance. Soaring just above to the right is Abraham Pieciak’s “Lobsterville Osprey.” Set against a bright orange background, the regal creature spreads its wings in welcome. Pieciak fashioned the large work from driftwood, buoys, and netting, literally incorporating pieces of the Vineyard into his art.
From the lobby onward, art fills every nook and cranny. We see it on the walls of the laboratory waiting area, radiology, offices, exam and patient rooms, hallways, and even the bathrooms. There are still lifes, landscapes, portraits, and abstracts. In addition to painting and mixed media, there is photography, drawing, collage, sculpture, and a two-story mural of local marine life by Margot Datz, in the conference room, transporting us on an underwater journey.
All the art is visually stunning and helps us see in new ways. Gwendolyn Norton creates a sense of mystery in her captivating photograph “Reflections — Menemsha,” which hangs at the intersection of the old and new hospitals. The quiet scene raises more questions the longer we look. Where does the dock end and the water begin? What time of day produces the luscious colors? And how does Norton create such a painterly quality with her camera?
Lucy Mitchell’s large “Beach Collection — Medicine Cabinet” reminds us of the healing that can happen simply by walking along the shore. Each branch, shell, rock, and bird’s nest has a beauty of its own, which is amplified when they are taken together in this giant glass “medicine cabinet,” located in the hallway across from the entrance to the David Family Roof Garden.
Martha Mae Jones creates an entrancing composition that shows us new ways to combine media in “Heart Is Where the Home Is,” which hangs in the internal medicine waiting room. Jones’ gorgeous swathes of textiles create exquisite visual complexity in her simple composition of four stately houses lined up across the picture frame.
Patients, visitors, and staff alike find delight and comfort in the collection, the exact result Monina von Opel and Edward Miller always desired for their impressive undertaking. The collection was born in the boardroom when Miller, then a board member, and Tim Sweet, then vice chair, were reviewing plans for the main building on the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital campus in 2009.
Miller recalls the architect presenting a portfolio of abstract color works, wishing to avoid any strong reaction in viewers. “I turned to Tim and said, ‘One, we can do a lot better than this on our Island with all our artists, and two, I want people to feel something.’ Tim said, ‘You’re absolutely right, and you’re in charge.’”
Miller immediately enlisted his wife, von Opel, as curator. The couple had long been passionate art collectors. At the time, neither they nor Sweet was aware of any research on the positive effects of art in hospitals. Miller shares, “I think in the back of our minds, we just intuitively thought it was a good idea to connect the community with the hospital and have patients, staff, and visitors stimulated by the art.”
It turns out their intuition was correct. Research confirms that art in hospitals provides significant health benefits, reducing patient stress, anxiety, and pain, promoting healing, improving mood, shortening hospital stays, and lowering medication use. The World Health Organization has published significant reports, notably a 2019 review, that detail the extensive healing effects of the arts, including visual art in hospitals, showing they improve both mental and physical health by reducing stress, boosting immunity, and managing chronic diseases, among other benefits.
Stanford Medicine and Penn State Health research also reveals that art in hospital rooms significantly aids the healing process by reducing anxiety, lowering pain perception, improving mood, shortening hospital stays, and boosting overall patient satisfaction through positive distraction and a connection to the artwork.
The hospital’s president and chief operating officer, Claire Seguin, has seen the impact of the collection firsthand. “For many patients, coming to the hospital can be stressful. Seeing familiar faces and scenes from around the Island in our artwork offers a sense of comfort and belonging — it reminds people that they’re still connected to home. You can see it every day, as patients, visitors, and staff pause in the hallways to take it in. Those small, quiet moments help people feel grounded and connected, even during difficult times.”
Miller and von Opel began their endeavor by approaching Alison Shaw and Janet Woodcock to request photographs for the private in-patient rooms, which would be on display at the February 2010 ribbon-cutting ceremony for donors and press. It was a great success, and Miller says, “From then on, Monina was the ferret-in-chief, going around and finding artists. We wanted to build up the collection so that artists felt it was important to have their work included. Once we added several well-known artists, such as Allen Whiting, Kib Bramhall, and Rez Williams, it became easier. And we were supported all the way through by the hospital management.”
Von Opel recalls spending endless hours visiting artists’ studios. “Or somebody would say, ‘Oh, my nephew is really good, you should see his work,’ or, ‘My uncle just died,’ and off I’d go to see what he had. I never knew what I was going to find. And one thing leads to another. It was a treasure hunt.”
Von Opel says that when installing, “It was fun to see how the staff got curious when they saw us coming with our hammers and nails. They started to say, ‘Oh, I’d love to have that in my office.’ It got everyone excited and made them feel they had input and were part of the whole thing. We would try to make sure everybody had something they loved.”
She continues, “Many people who come to visit sick friends or family have told me what fun it is to walk around with the sick person instead of sitting in a corner of the room. So, that’s healthy for everyone. Also, many rooms in the building don’t have windows. Art can create a view. Could you imagine sitting in the infusion center rooms with nothing on the walls?”
Photographer and gallery owner Michael Blanchard recalls getting lost in thought as he viewed one of Shaw’s photographs in his hospital room in 2024. He shares, “I sent her a nice note saying thanks for having this here. It meant something. I thought it was beautiful. There are so many little things like that that make this place different. To wander the hallways and see all this beautiful artwork, it’s just a different feel.”
In a similar vein, shortly after the collection was installed, the volunteer director, Angela Roderick, put a selection of the artwork on iPads and shared it with inpatients. With their interest piqued, volunteers then helped patients go to view the pieces in person. “It was a nice way for them to get out and about to see the art installation,” Roderick says.
Von Opel strongly believes it’s also important to place art where the public does not normally go, such as in the hallways between the radiology rooms. The idea came from photographer Alida O’Loughlin. Von Opel explains, “She came to me and said, ‘Listen, I’ve been wheeled down that hallway, and it is depressing. I need something at eye level with my gurney that will cheer me up. It’s scary going down there.” As a result, von Opel hung works by O’Loughlin, as well as Paul Lazes’ larger-than-life-sized photographs “Tough Chicks of Martha’s Vineyard: Strong Women Who Strengthen Our Lives.” Some of the women may be immediately recognizable. You’ll see Featherstone’s Ann Smith and her mother, Francine Kelly; Chilmark Writing Workshop founder Nancy Aronie; the Steamship Authority’s Bridget Tobin; and author, poet, and activist Rose Styron, as well as others who may be unknown to us. All radiate that Vineyard spark of individuality.
Von Opel shares, “People come up to us all the time, at the movies or in aisle 6 at Cronig’s, to tell us how much better it made them feel just looking at a painting that was not like a motel poster. They frequently know the artists, which helps bind the community. And so many people have told us that the art just lightens them up. It’s visually stimulating, and it takes your mind off of what’s ahead.”
The collection is a living, breathing entity. Seguin says, “We continue to receive interest from artists who want to be part of the collection, with each submission thoughtfully reviewed by our art committee. As the hospital grows, we are committed to ensuring this cherished collection remains a vital part of the hospital’s healing culture.”
For a visual index of the hospital’s collection, visit https://mvhospital.org/healing-spaces/permanent-art-collection/.