The Sculpture Club at UTRGV Officially Launches a Safari-Themed Coloring Book to be Exclusively Distributed to Pediatric Patients at South Texas Health System Children's
A hospital stay can be an extremely stressful experience, especially for children. In an unfamiliar environment, it’s easy for a child to overthink and panic. Those emotions can lead to anxiety, which can cause decreased appetite, sleep disturbances and even exacerbate fears.
Fortunately, the Child Life Program at South Texas Health System Children’s helps alleviate stress in hospitalized children through a myriad of initiatives that focus on the emotional, social and developmental well-being of hospitalized children. One of the most effective programs is the is art therapy curriculum conducted in partnership with the Auxiliary to South Texas Health System, which provides a slew of creative bedside and playroom activities for the patients in the hospital’s care.
Since art can help prevent negative emotions and provide an effective outlet for feelings like stress and fear, STHS Children’s has partnered with the Sculpture Club, a student run organization at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, to develop a special coloring book that will be used as part of the facility’s art therapy program.
Child Life at STHS Children's
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“This book is a passion project for our talented students,” says Lilia Cabrera, MA, Lecturer, School of Art & Design, College of Fine Arts, UTRGV, who serves as the club’s advisor. “The initiative models the beautiful efforts that multiple artists have gradually worked on over the years for the patients of STHS Children’s. This labor of love expands on those art therapy sessions we’ve hosted at the facility in a massive way, allowing all future patients to reduce their anxiety while harnessing their creativity.”
Inspired by the safari-themed design at STHS Children’s and the hospital’s monkey mascot Eddie, My Animal Friends Coloring Book celebrates the wondrous animal kingdom. Along with coloring pages that display goats, tortoises, giraffes and other animals, the 28-page bilingual coloring book also features drawing activities, a word search and an I Spy activity.
“This book is meant to be interactive but, aside from that, we hope patients can take it with them and reflect on the creative outlet we were able to offer,” says Cabrera.
The coloring book artists include Yvette Larios, Kiona R. Brooks, Grecia Osorio, Lillian Huerta, Giselle Vazquez and Suzanah Garza, all members of the university’s Sculpture Club, which was launched in May 2022 to provide students with a place where they feel welcome, can create art, make friends and engage with the community.
Understanding the importance of art and the role it plays as a creative outlet for self-expression, the artists poured their hearts and creativity into each page of the coloring book with the hope of inspiring, encouraging and uplifting the pediatric patients at STHS Children’s on their healing journey.
“It’s meant to be a fun distraction from their hospital stay and something that they’ll enjoy with their families and other patients,” says Yvette Larios, the former president of the Sculpture Club who created six pages in the coloring book. “As they use their imagination to complete the activities, we’re hoping that the patients have a positive experience, gain a better appreciation for art and get inspired to get involved in their own communities in the future.”
To officially launch the coloring book, STHS Children’s partnered with the Sculpture Club to host a special presentation on Saturday, November 30 in the hospital’s main lobby where the artists discussed the inspiration behind the pages they created.
Following the program, the students distributed the coloring books to the first batch of patients in the hospital’s care and gathered with them in the hospital’s third floor pediatric playroom to help them add color, creativity and imagination to their copies of the book while creating beautifully therapeutic art.
“STHS Children’s is grateful to the Sculpture Club’s talented members for creating a coloring book that will help the pediatric patients in our care and their families cope with the challenges of hospitalization by allowing them to express themselves by coloring in this this beautifully therapeutic coloring book,” says Tom Castañeda, System Director of Marketing & Public Relations, South Texas Health System. “With every crayon stroke, they’ll be able to feel less anxious and stressed as they practice mindfulness, which allows them to focus and stay in the moment. But they’ll also be able to build up their confidence and self-esteem as they express themselves creatively! Based on the reaction from the first group of patients to interact with the coloring book, it’s already a massive hit!”
STHS Children’s has initially printed 1,000 copies of the My Animal Friends Coloring Book by the Sculpture Club with plans to print additional copies as the need arises.