UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: MASONIC INSTITUTE FOR THE DEVELOPING BRAIN
RASHID JOHNSON
CITY/STATE
Minneapolis, MN
LOCATION IN HOSPITAL
MRI Suite
INSTALL DATE
2024
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ABOUT THE INSTALLATION
In 2024, RxArt embarked on its second collaboration with Rashid Johnson at the University of Minnesota’s Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB). The project immersed the Institute’s MRI suite in Johnson’s playful Seascape imagery. His blue-and-white nautical landscape transformed a once blank space into a unique and serene environment that extends throughout the suite to two scan rooms, a corridor, and a waiting room.
MIDB is committed to reducing the anxiety children often feel in the MRI suite, and the meditative effect of Johnson’s installation contributes to a more calming patient experience. The overlapping outlines of the boats are soothing in their simplicity and color, yet the depth of their layers is mentally stimulating, creating a simultaneously engaging and relaxing environment.
This project was made possible through the generous support of the Eliza Moore Fund.
ABOUT THE HOSPITAL
The Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB) is Minnesota's first comprehensive center specializing in research, advocacy, and care for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and mental health concerns. By bringing together M Health Fairview experts, leading researchers, and public health advocates from the University of Minnesota, the institute integrates clinical care with research and advocacy to enhance their services for children and the community.
MIDB clinics offer a range of services for developmental and mental health conditions, including diagnostic evaluations, individual and group therapy, medication management, care coordination, and developmental monitoring.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Rashid Johnson (b. 1977, Chicago, IL) creates art in a wide range of media, including painting, sculpture, and installation, which he uses to explore themes of art history, cultural identities, personal narratives, literature, philosophy, materiality, and critical history. Johnson earned his MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago. He lives and works in New York, NY.
Johnson’s recent solo exhibitions include shows at Hauser & Wirth, Menorca; Storm King Art Center, New Windsor, NY; Hauser & Wirth, London; Hauser & Wirth, New York; Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto; and the Museo Tamayo, Mexico City. Johnson is represented by Hauser & Wirth and David Kordansky Gallery.
