Donating Artworks to Cambridge University Hospitals
Thank you for wanting to donate artworks to Cambridge University Hospitals. It’s great to see how much people care about our art collection and understand how important good art is in our hospitals.
Although we appreciate all offers, we can’t always accept donations. The hospital has limited space to show and store art, a small team to look after it, and we need to choose carefully what we display.
If you are considering donating artworks to CUH Arts, please complete this Expression of Interest form with details of the work (one form for each artwork) and send it along with images to the CUH arts team via email.
We will get back to you within 10 working days about your offer. If we accept the donation, you will need to sign our Art Donations Agreement before arranging safe transport for the artwork.
We rely on charitable donations. If you would like to donate funds to support our Arts programme, please contact Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (opens in a new tab).
CUH Arts Donations: Criteria and Considerations
Art can be powerful and make a big, positive difference. We know people have strong opinions about what art should be shown and where. At CUH Arts, we have to think about many things before adding art to our collection or putting it on display in our hospitals.
These include, but are not limited to:
Physical Practicalities
- Is the work in a condition suitable for public display?
- Is the work of a manageable size for display and storage?
- Is the work framed suitably to protect the artwork and public when on display?
- Can the artwork be transported to Cambridge University Hospitals?
- Does the artwork, (materials or framing), pose a particular fire or infection control risk?
Quality, Collection and Care
- Does the artwork speak to the concerns of our patients and staff?
- Does the artwork support our organisation’s values: Safe, Kind and Excellent?
- Does the artwork connect with existing collection items, or represent a point of difference to existing works in the collection?
- Does the artwork need a conservation or maintenance plan which CUH can commit to upholding, within the resources of our team?
Location and audience
- Is the subject matter of the artwork suitable for display in a public hospital setting, given the myriad sensitivities of patients as they move through our buildings?
- CUH Arts consult with staff before agreeing display of artwork in particular locations – if this artwork is location-specific, are the staff happy and comfortable to work alongside the artwork?
- Does the artwork enrich our communication with patients?
To support your donation enquiry please complete the following document and send it to the CUH arts team via email.