Art that cures: Padua Hospital hosts art project for long-term patients

Creativity as a tool for healing, connection and resilience. This is at the heart of the Volcano Project, an initiative conceived by artist Beatrice Zagato in close collaboration with the University Hospital of Padua. Starting Feb. 3 and for the next three months, an entire area of the Veneto hospital facility is set aside for creative activities aimed at medium- to long-term patients, health workers, caregivers and visitors.

The initiative stems from the desire to enhance artistic expression as an element capable of supporting the care path and nurturing new forms of relationships between people. Through drawing, painting and other forms of artistic production, patients and operators will be invited to explore creativity as a personal and collective resource, fostering the construction of an increasingly humane and inclusive hospital environment.

“Vulcan represents the energy and vitality that each of us possesses even in the most intense moments of difficulty,” explains Beatrice Zagato. “It is the strength that drives us to transform fragility into determination, and that is what this project aims at. Creativity, with its universal language of light and color, helps us bring out this potential.”

The project involves the progressive creation of a visual journey: the works created by the participants will be exhibited in the same space in which they are created, thus documenting the evolution of the experience. The initiative aims to encourage active participation, reduce isolation and promote a sense of belonging and hope during the period of hospitalization.

At the end of the journey, a permanent work of art will be created by Beatrice Zagato, inspired by the drawings, colors and messages that emerged during the activities. This work will be permanently installed inside the University Hospital of Padua as a testimony to the value of the project and as a lasting symbol of strength, hope and continuity. Complementing the initiative, a video story will also be produced that will document the most significant moments of the project, collecting testimonies from the participants and helping to spread the message beyond hospital boundaries.

Beatrice Zagato’s career is distinguished by a multidisciplinary approach that combines art, social research and law, promoting creativity as a tool for dialogue, inclusion and social regeneration. Her works, exhibited both in Italy and abroad, focus on the use of light and color as sources of vital energy.

“Project Volcano aims not so much to bring art into the hospital,” explains Giuseppe Dal Ben, director of the University Hospital Company Padua, “but seeks to generate new connections between people, exploring the transformative potential of creativity. Creativity works like a seed: it expands, creating social connections and stimulating new perspectives. What we hope is to test whether art and creativity can enrich the human experience even in the most complex moments, offering a powerful tool to reconnect with oneself and others.”

The realization of the project is made possible thanks to the contribution of Bottega SpA, GB Terme Hotels, Undici HP Srl, Alì Supermarkets, Stevanato Foundation, Xylem Service Italia S.r.l., Cefim Srl, Longwave S.p.A., Guidolin Giuseppe - Eco.G. S.r.l., Dr. Giovanni La Scala Studio Dentistico, as well as a private donation in memory of Vittore Pagan. Technical support is provided by SFP Associated Law Firm.

Project Vulcan is configured as an intervention with high human and cultural value, capable of integrating the dimension of care with that of creativity and participation. In a healthcare context increasingly oriented to the centrality of the person, this initiative is proposed as a virtuous model of social and cultural innovation, laying the groundwork for a broad reflection on the role of art in promoting health and well-being.

Through the universal language of art, the University Hospital of Padua reaffirms its commitment to integrated, person-centered care, testifying that even in places of suffering spaces of energy, resilience and hope can be born. The Volcano Project represents a concrete example of how it is possible to transform the experience of care into an opportunity for growth and relationships, enhancing the inner resources of each individual.

Art that cures: Padua Hospital hosts art project for long-term patients

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