by Maryann Wood

Created on: September 19, 2008

Nature abhors a vacuum, and she's not alone in that. Where human beings encounter large amounts of blank (literally or figuratively, white) space in the visual surfaces of man-made environments, a common and powerful urge emerges to fill it: something "should go" over that sofa, "break up" that building's faade, "make a statement" in that reception area. No one needs to invest time and money into an object that - immediately or over time - makes you wish you had your white space back. Differences of opinion regarding what ends up there are often ascribed to taste alone. But anyone making or proposing an artwork purchase or acquisition might want to evaluate its ability to wear well in its surroundings by considering what role or roles that piece or collection is intended to play there. The piece will serve some purpose, positive or negative, intentionally or not. Why not take the time to choose what it will be?

Some environments seem to gravitate toward one role or other. Health care facilities are inclined toward portals, consciously or not acting in accordance with the healthcare design recommendations spearheaded by Roger Ulrich's research. Ulrich's earliest studies indicated that hospital patients responded best in environments where they had a window a literal portal - to look through. Barring that, his studies found that they did best viewing landscapes that represented portals to calm natural settings. Facility designers have responded by increasing the amount of window space used in patient and common areas. But that has left a large gap in health care art which can be filled by installations that heal by engaging, rather than "removing" or confronting patients, staff and visitors. These include literal testimonials healing walls, where patients and family recount their experiences to support others. Other works, including some interactive installations, testify to the human ability to live mindfully, even playfully, in the face of disease and injury, pain and fear.

Educational institutions and churches traditionally include icons, including portraits of past and current pastors and presidents. In these environments, a piece that makes a bold statement about mission and identity creates an opportunity to focus on the immediate moment and the organization's past with its intended future.

Corporate reception areas often choose to make a statement regarding the company a single, impressive purchase, a collection of pieces by emerging local artists which reminds members and visitors both of the company's status and values. A portal to the world outside the halls of business can be humanizing, and an icon representing the firm's core business can be centering; in different ways, they both speak to the purpose of that company and its place within a wider world.

Get the role right, then move on to medium, color, composition and all the other components artists put to use. The void our nature rebels against is more often about a lack of point or purpose than it is about the absence of some pleasant but arbitrary object.

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