A boy raises his hands towards a mural of a flowing rainbow and butterflies

Rainbows in the Clouds

 Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria  
 Collaborative mural with handblown glass and beadwork  
 Created in collaboration with the U.S. State Department 
 Role: Concept development, design, fabrication and installation, education, cultural exchange
  • An image of colorful glass balls hovering in front of a rainbow mural
  • Close up image of a beaded prism
  • Image of a rainbow mural with glass balls strung in a line also in a rainbow
  • A group of proud people in colorful clothing stand in front of a mural
  • An image of a colorful pediatric ward with rainbows and butterflies
  • A woman points toward another woman who is painting a rainbow
  • Plastic chairs and a hospital bed in front of a bright rainbow mural
  • A smiling group of women beading
  • A group of women work together to string beaded prisms
  • A woman helps children playing with colorful beads
  • An artist paints a boy's face like a superhero mask
  • A little girl gets face paint of a superwoman crown
  • A woman smiles at a girl who is happy with a face painted crown
  • A girl in a hospital bed gets her face painted with flowers
  • A group of musicians play for a girl in a hospital bed
  • Children work on coloring pages as an adult looks on
  • children hold up beautiful coloring pages
  • A little boy colors a picture on a plastic chair
  • A group of artists in matching shirts smile for the camera
  • A group of artists in arts in medicine shirts smile happily
  • A group of friends smiling and being silly
  • A woman presents a lecture about handblown glass
  • A large gathering of people in front of a building smiling jubilantly in navy blue shirts
  • An artist stands in front of a mural with wings

Rainbows in the Clouds, inspired by Maya Angelou, is a result of the Mandela Washington Reciprocal Exchange Award, provided by the U.S. State Department to foster US/ African collaboration. Sarah partnered with Mandela Washington Fellow Kunle Adewale for a full Lagos immersion focused on Arts in Health. In collaboration with Tender Arts Nigeria, we renovated a Pediatric Ward at Lagos University Teaching Hospital with a full scale mural and hand blown glass installation, as well as conducting bedside music and art sessions with pediatric patients. We presented programs on Arts in Health in the United States and Nigeria for participants at the Society of Nigerian Artists and at the 2019 Nigerian Arts in Medicine Fellowship Grand Finale. We toured and met with leadership at the National Sickle Cell Center and Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital to gain an understanding of the impact of Arts in Medicine programming in these locations. Special thanks to UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine and Avalon Beads for their support.