WCA Hospital's 21st century Emergency Department patient/family waiting area is a brighter place thanks to Charlene Kidder, a local artist whose wall mural painting titled the "Four Seasons Portrait" integrates art and transforms the patient and family experience when they enter the doors of the new Emergency Department.
The mural will be unveiled during the hospital's grand opening from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday. The community is invited to meet Kidder and view her art.
As patients and visitors step into the main entrance of the "new" Emergency Department, they will be greeted by a serene wall mural depicting the allegory of the four seasons - spring, summer, autumn and winter. The painted art piece, commissioned by WCA Hospital leadership, covers the west wall of the new patient/family waiting area.
Article Photos
Local artist Charlene Kidder creates a wall mural painting titled the “Four Seasons Portrait” for the new Emergency Department at WCA.
Submitted photo
Painted in a stunning array of luminous colors that portray the four seasons, a spring scene on the wall is illustrative of the beauty of Chautauqua County in the springtime with images of vibrant maple trees amid a rolling stream, white-tailed deer and a wooded backdrop.
A peaceful scenic view of Chautauqua Lake gives way to a lone fisherman on a quiet summer morning. Fall foliage articulates the poetic beauty of the glorious autumn leaves with an Amish buggy making its way along a magnificent countryside road; and the exquisite detail of a winter scene with a skier gliding down a slope of a beautiful snow-capped hill completes the wall mural.
"This eloquent mural is intended to open up the walls of our new Emergency Department and provide a peaceful and supportive environment for our patients and families," said Betsy T. Wright, WCA Hospital president and chief executive officer. "Transforming our health care experience through the arts plays a significant role in promoting health and healing. We are truly graced by Charlene's talents and honored to include her artwork in our new center."
Kidder, a lifelong resident in Chautauqua County, lives in Busti with husband, Bruce, and has three grown daughters, Tara, Jill and Erin, and nine grandchildren. Ms. Kidder attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and has had a lifelong passion for the arts. Mentored under the tutelage of Helen Gilbert - a well-known muralist in Chautauqua County - Kidder began work on the mural at WCA in the summer amid the building construction of the new Emergency Department.
The WCA Hospital Emergency Department grand opening will begin at 12:30 p.m. The community is invited to join Ms. Wright, community leaders and Mayor Sam Teresi for a dedication ceremony just outside the "new" WCA Hospital Emergency Department entrance on Sherman Street and Prather Avenue. From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., participants can take part in the Teddy Bear Clinic; open house and self-guided walking tours; questions and answer sessions with the emergency department physicians and staff who will guide guests through the 18,000-square-foot Emergency Center. Live music will be provided by Bill Ward, singer/songwriter, Joseph Iuculano, local accordion musician, and Rhonda Schwob, Scottish bagpiper. There will also be free commemorative gifts, appetizers, hor d'oeuvres and refreshments.
For more information, visit www.wcahospital.org or contact Linda Johnson, WCA Hospital public relations officer, at 664-8614.