Organization Name : RxArt

About the organization:

RxArt is a non-profit organization dedicated to placing original contemporary fine art in patient, procedure and examination rooms of healthcare facilities, at no cost to the institution. Our mission is to improve otherwise sterile environments through contemporary art, promote healing, and inspire hope in patients, families and staff.

Description of Project:

All of our site-specific hospital projects are created and installed through the support and generosity of our individual, corporate and foundation supporters, in addition to the sale of our unique line of charitable products. These items, the brainchild of RxArt staff, include limited edition artist-designed puzzles and coloring books that have become extremely popular with children and adults of all ages.

The RxArt Between the Lines coloring book series is an ongoing collaborative project that fuses the talents of some of the biggest names in contemporary art into a hallmark of childhood tradition. Our coloring books are not only offered for purchase on our website and in stores worldwide, but they are also distributed free to children in each healthcare facility in which we are working. The books provide a creative outlet for young patients, and, like our projects, are meant to be a stimulating distraction for patients and their families confined to the austerity of a hospital room.  The first volume—featuring the work of over 50 extraordinary artists including William Wegman, John Baldessari, Vito Acconci, Sol Lewitt and Keith Haring—was an overwhelming success; the entire edition of 35,000 sold out completely. The second volume, which includes the work of Takashi Murakami, Ryan McGinness, and Andy Warhol among many other renowned art world greats, is equally as popular among children and adults alike. The demands for the RxArt coloring books have far exceeded our expectations, and we are eager to take this innovative idea to the next level in the form of an RxArt iPad application.

Essentially, the application will function as a traditional coloring book using the revolutionary Multitouch technology of the iPad to select colors, fill in spaces, and draw free-form lines with virtual markers, paint brushes and crayons. The selected line drawings, or coloring “pages,” will be the artists’ works included in our Between the Lines coloring books, volumes one and two. We see this app as a means by which budding artists of all ages can experiment with a novel, interactive method of creating art. In addition, we also envision RxArt coloring book app users sharing their finished work: saving their colored artist images to iPhoto, sending via email, and uploading them to Facebook, Flickr or Twitpic. This added functionality will guarantee heightened exposure for RxArt, and add an exciting social twist to the conventional act of coloring. Moreover, the app itself—offered in two pricing tiers: free for limited image selection and $2.99 for complete access—will act as a key fundraising tool for RxArt and offer the contents of our printed and bound coloring books to an untapped market of digital enthusiasts.

Scope of Work:

The beauty of an iPad app is the fact that it’s available to anyone with the proper technology and a few dollars. RxArt is eager to extend our outreach to hospitals worldwide, but our capabilities are limited to the amount of manpower and funding available. The iPad application would not only be instrumental in contributing to the financial aspect of our hospital installations through sales in the App Store, but it will also allow RxArt to spread our mission via new and exciting technology. RxArt seeks a skilled developer to assist with the creation and implementation of this philanthropic coloring book app.

Ultimately, we envision this application being utilized by patients in hospitals with iPad programs intact. Many hospitals like Ashland Community Hospital in Oregon are beginning to purchase iPads to lend to patients during their wait or extended visit to provide them with a stimulating distraction from the stressors of the surrounding environment. Ashland Community Hospital announced the program in the beginning of August of 2010, garnering significant press and inciting buzz in the both the health and technology sectors. Ideally, the RxArt application will become available on the cusp of a new wave of technology-based initiatives in healthcare facilities.

While the programs are still in their initial phases, doctors have already found that the patient experience has improved immensely as a result of the new media implementation. If an RxArt coloring book application were to be added to the list of interactive program options on these loaner tablets, patients in facilities that lack fine art on their walls will have the opportunity to experience and gain appreciation for contemporary art in an alternative format.

The RxArt coloring book app will be accessible, dynamic and widespread, and with the movement toward an increasingly tech-reliant society, the app will also be a logical supplement to our site-specific fine art installations.

Proposed Timeline:

Most apps require approximately six months of development work. From a developer’s standpoint, the RxArt coloring book app is not extremely complex, as the information is static and readily available; the images from our Volume I and Volume II printed coloring books will be used.  We aim to have the app completed and available to users by Spring or Summer 2011.

Any Available Incentives for the Creative Professional

The developer will have a hand in fundraising for an organization that makes a measurable difference in the lives of thousands through the power of visual art. Most apps are created as profit-making tools for corporations, entrepreneurs and tech-savvy individuals, whereas the RxArt coloring book app is for the greater good. 100 percent of profits gleaned from the sale of the app will go directly back into the organization to further our mission and extend our outreach.

With the help of the developer, RxArt will be able to continue placing original fine art in patient, procedure and examination rooms of healthcare facilities, at no cost to the institutions. Our collaborative projects as well as our new app will contribute to brighter hospital environments, whether it’s through a cheerful work installed on a bare wall or via a stimulating app that will bring smiles to patients of all ages. The presence of contemporary art in physical and digital form will ultimately promote healing and provide encouragement, inspiration and hope to patients, families and staff; these powerful effects will be due in part to the work of our creative professional.

Interested in this project? Fill out a VOLUNTEER FORM and SUBMIT YOUR RESUME.