The artworks to feature in the new $30 million Wentworth Health Service Redevelopment are being finalised for installation, as construction of the health facility nears completion.
Three arts projects will feature in the redevelopment to make the clinical environment more friendly to give and receive care, including a collection of artwork by local students, a Barkindji-led community weaving piece, and a heritage display honouring the history of Wentworth Hospital.
The student artwork is comprised of 139 framed artworks created by students from eight local primary and secondary schools in collaboration with Aboriginal artists, Elders, and Knowledge Holders. The collection reflects a commitment to care for the community by the next generation, expressing a shared connection to place and a hopeful vision for a bright and healthy future.
Each school hosted a cultural immersion day, where Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students were invited to listen, learn, and create. Aboriginal Knowledge Holders generously shared stories of healing on Country, bush medicine, and connections to the hospital, offering inspiration for the artworks.
The weaving project was designed and created by local master weaver and Barkindji Elder Aunty Clair Bates in collaboration with members of the Wentworth community over several workshops. Displayed in the main reception area, it will offer a heartfelt welcome to patients, visitors and staff at the Wentworth Health Service.
A heritage display reflecting the rich and unique history of Wentworth Hospital showcases vintage medical equipment and items collected over the years and found in the old hospital. Ten framed historical photographic reproductions will also be displayed in various areas of the new facility, following consultation with staff and the Wentworth Historical Society.
In addition to the artworks, an architectural interpretation of the Darling River’s Red River Gums, or scar trees, is showcased at the entry to the hospital and forms part of the structural support of the entry canopy. An adjacent roof opening, or oculus, symbolises the canoes or shields carved out of these Red River Gums, with the feature also allowing natural light to stream into the entry spaces below.
The Arts in Health program aims to integrate art into the NSW healthcare system to improve patient, staff and carer experiences in health services. Guided by a local Arts Working Group, the new Wentworth Health Service includes artistic elements incorporating community engagement, Aboriginal Culture and the history of Wentworth Hospital.
Installation of the artworks will be completed for the opening of the new Wentworth Health Service, which is expected before the end of 2025.
Once the new hospital has been completed, the 80-year-old current hospital will be demolished to make way for a new ambulance access to the Hospital’s new Urgent Care Centre.
Quotes to be attributed to Health Infrastructure Acting Executive Director Nicholas Rayner:
“It is exciting to see construction of the Wentworth Health Service Redevelopment nearing completion, which will enhance access to health services for the local community now and into the future.
“We know that integrating art into health facilities helps promote healing, connection, and cultural expression for patients and visitors.
“The artworks to be featured in the new Wentworth Health Service are a fantastic reflection of the history of the old hospital and local Aboriginal culture, which has been such an important aspect of this project built overlooking the Darling River, a sacred place for the Barkindji people.
“It’s also great to see young people given an opportunity to be involved through the school art project, which is a fantastic example of collaboration with the local community and every school in the region.
“The new Wentworth Health Service will be more than a much-needed new and improved health facility for the local community, it will also be a health facility that locals will feel truly part and proud of.”