When St. Anthony Hospital expanded its Shawnee campus with a new three-story wing, leadership sought to create a space that would feel welcoming, personal, and deeply connected to Oklahoma’s landscape and people. Color Works was commissioned to curate and procure over 100 pieces of locally sourced photography to transform this new wing into a place of calm, familiarity, and healing.

Located in Shawnee, just east of Oklahoma City, St. Anthony Hospital serves as a vital healthcare anchor for the surrounding rural region. For many patients, this facility represents both the nearest advanced medical center and a symbol of reassurance in times of vulnerability. The hospital’s growth reflected a rising demand for modernized care while staying rooted in community values—accessibility, warmth, and trust.

Visitors often travel from small towns and rural areas where healthcare environments are intimate and familiar. Entering a large medical complex can feel overwhelming, especially during times of uncertainty. Recognizing this, hospital leadership emphasized that every design choice should make patients and families feel at ease from the moment they entered.

The hospital’s leadership aimed to foster a healing atmosphere grounded in Oklahoma’s natural beauty and local culture. The art program needed to convey calm and comfort to patients of every background while meeting strict healthcare standards for material safety and durability.

Equally important was sensitivity to who the patients were—families welcoming new life, individuals preparing for surgery, and those facing loss. The design team focused on creating spaces that supported emotional well-being through visual cues, color, and subject matter. Every placement and image choice was guided by the patient experience: what they would see when lying in a bed, sitting in a waiting area, or walking the hallways during recovery.

Color Works developed an art program rooted in biophilic design and the belief that thoughtful environments promote healing. The team’s curation emphasized the textures, colors, and horizons that define Oklahoma, bringing a tangible sense of place indoors.

• Surgical and Recovery Areas: Gentle landscapes featuring trees, water, and open skies greeted patients and staff. These compositions invited calm and steadiness—an intentional visual rhythm that paralleled the healing process.
• Women’s and Family Health Areas: Intimate photography of infants’ hands and feet reflected the joy and tenderness of new life. Soft lighting and nature-based tones extended that atmosphere of care and optimism throughout the corridors.
• Sensitive Patient Rooms: In close collaboration with hospital staff, two rooms on the OBGYN floor were designated for women experiencing miscarriage, stillbirth, hysterectomy, or other non-birthing procedures. Positioned at the quietest end of the wing, they offered privacy and peace. Color Works partnered with the hospital’s Women’s Auxiliary to integrate a CuddleCot, a specialized cooling system that allows families experiencing infant loss to spend meaningful time with their baby in a compassionate, thoughtfully designed setting. The artwork in these rooms focused on landscapes and natural textures—gentle reflections of continuity and comfort.
• Staff and Shared Spaces: Expansive sky studies, fields, and rock formations were placed strategically along circulation routes to remind care providers of the world beyond the walls—reconnecting them to the environment and community they serve.

Every decision reflected collaboration between Color Works, hospital leadership, facilities and construction teams, and local artists and print shops, ensuring each piece was both beautiful and appropriate for a healthcare environment.

• Reinforced the hospital’s mission of compassionate, community-oriented care
• Enhanced patient comfort and emotional well-being through nature-based visual design
• Created a cohesive, culturally grounded art collection that strengthens staff pride and patient trust

Leadership and staff described the completed space as one that “feels alive with heart and soul”—a place that welcomes every patient with warmth and understanding.

At Color Works, every project begins with empathy for the people who will experience it. Our team studies the demographics, emotions, and needs of each audience—whether patients, residents, or staff—to design spaces that speak to their humanity and improve quality of life.

Explore how art procurement and environmental design can create spaces that heal, comfort, and connect your community.