NeoCon is where the design world comes together - three days bursting with new thinking, new resources, and new products topped off with networking opportunities, fun and parties. This is the largest design tradeshow of its kind in the world; an opportunity to view all that is essential to this industry whether it be related to healthcare, hospitality, residential or sustainable products.

This year, we had the opportunity to showcase some of our offerings, the most innovative of which is our Prints on Demand program. Available  artwork  can be printed in any size, on any of five unique substrates including aluminum, clear acrylic, bamboo, paper and canvas. This printing innovation breaks down the barriers that used to impose limitations on the choices available to designers and clients alike - it has truly revolutionized the entire design process.

In the Chicago area, hospitals and medical centers looking to de-institutionalize their ambience are increasingly turning to H. Marion Framing, as the perfect purveyor of healing images, from limited-edition to poster-quality to fine art, and now, on any substrate.

What do Michael Jordan, Abraham Lincoln, Jane Addams, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ray Kroc, Cammi Granato and Joseph Cardinal Bernardin have in common? All seven famous personalities are featured in an educational installation at Loyola University Medical Center’s Ronald McDonald Children’s Hospital and were recently given a “facelift” by local framer/art consultant Jan Marion of H. Marion Framing Studio.
The installation employs life-sized images of the personalities, along with name plaques that detail information about their lives and accomplishments. While the display is an important educational tool for the RMCH ward, it also provides stimulating relief from the barrage of tests and procedures that young patients endure during their stays at the facility. (more…)

Whether your facility is building a replacement hospital, giving a face lift to an existing space or preparing for a complete unit renovation, the main three factors which will insure a successful project are: design, design and design. After the floor plan has been created and wonderful interior finishes have been selected, chances are something resembling art will go on the wall. A good art consultant will make sure that art is not arbitrarily selected for the walls. We need to work with the architect and the hospital administrators to tailor an art program to suit the community served, the function of the unit and the philosophy and vision that the hospital wants to convey. We need to keep up with the latest research on art in hospitals and healthcare design trends through continuing education, attending art shows and industry round tables. This type of research allows the consultant to understand which types of images reduce stress and promote healing in certain patient populations or in certain medical arenas. In other words, a geriatric unit will require different art than a pediatrics unit; a heart transplant unit will look different than a birthing unit or an emergency department.

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by John Oberlin

H. Marion Framing took a step out of season, so to say, when the Glenview, Illinois-based art consultant and procurer began selecting healing images for a cardiac rehabilitation facility expansion at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. The views of nature seen through the limited editions, prints, woodblocks, etchings, giclées, photography, and watercolor originals reflect the local region’s natural seasonal cycle and culture.

Jan Marion, president of H. Marion, wanted to show more than life at the pinnacle of its growth: a tree full of green leaves or a flower in full bloom. He wanted the whole process of life: “Typically when we do healthcare, our images are signs of life. It’s a tree with leaves on it, not a bare tree in the dead of winter. However, within this facility, we weren’t afraid to illustrate the four seasons. It’s a natural part of the cycle there.”

Read the full article in Healthcare Design Magazine’s Feb. ‘08 issue

 Now that the healing qualities of art have been documented by solid research from Great Britain, Scandanavia and other countries, progressive hospitals nationwide are seeking the advice of professionals to select and provide appropriate artwork.

As new evidence has emerged that artwork has a measurably positive effect on Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, nursing hoomes, in particular, are moving to adopt artwork specifically chosen to address their residents’ illnesses.  

Selecting the perfect artwork for nursing homes requires following very specific guidelines, according to healthcare art consultant Jan Marion, certified picture framer and owner of H. Marion Framing Studio, Inc. in Chicago’s north suburban area.

In recent years, Marion has become one of the Chicago area’s most sought-after experts in healing art, providing limited-edition, poster-quality and fine art for prominent hospitals and medical centers including Holy Family Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Loyola University Health System, the Resurrection Health Care Group, Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center, Saint Francis Hospital, Northwestern Memorial and West Suburban Medical Center.

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