August 31, 2020
Calgary artist Harry Stroppel recently visited Rockyview General Hospital to donate more of his art to the site’s private collection. As a former patient, Stroppel says he understands the healing power of art and is delighted to share his creative output with others.
Story by Blain Fairbairn | Photo by Stephanie Strelau
If you ask people to describe a hospital, you rarely hear words such as colourful, vibrant and inspiring. But such compliments aptly reflect how many patients, staff and families feel about Rockyview General Hospital (RGH).
For almost 40 years the hospital has been building an impressive collection of paintings, sculptures and other works of art. Today, the hospital is home to more than 2,400 paintings, prints and sculptures by dozens of Canadian artists.
Since the early 1980s, RGH has purchased or received donated artwork that it proudly displays throughout the site. At any given time, there are hundreds of pieces displayed in the corridors and lobbies for all to admire and enjoy.
The program is managed by a volunteer art committee that was spearheaded by Marie Poelman, a longtime hospital administrator and artist in her own right. For a period, RGH sold select pieces on consignment with proceeds going to the participating artists and the hospital receiving a percentage of the sale. This gave the hospital the opportunity to purchase more art for its permanent collection — all the while giving artists valuable exposure to potential buyers.
One such Calgary-based artist is Harry Stroppel, who has a long history with RGH. The 87-year-old has donated many prints over the years. Recently, the site received a few more of his original works.
From oil, acrylic, watercolour and pencil sketches, Stroppel has proven himself a prolific artist, having taken up painting at the mature age of 56 to express his creative visions.
Stroppel says he’s pleased to be able to support patient care in a novel way through his creative passion.
“They weren’t going anywhere in my possession and I thought they might like them,” he says of his many contributions. “I was rather thrilled when they did like them. More importantly, it’s very therapeutic for patients.”
He would know.
In his mid-60s, Stroppel experienced a seizure. He was sent for tests and doctors discovered a golf ball-sized tumor in his brain. It was removed on Valentine’s Day 2001 at Foothills Medical Centre, where Stroppel spent a number of weeks recuperating.
After his close call, he decided to share his artistic talent in the hopes it would help other patients along their own journey of healing.
“I’ve got something in the range of 60 pieces of art in various hospitals and care centres in the city,” he adds. “I would like to see them all viewed — because it isn’t art until someone looks at it.”
In June 2019, RGH launched a self-guided Art & Culture tour to help promote its impressive portfolio of works from many local and international artists and sculptors.
Site Director Laurie Harding, who now manages the private collection and works with Calgary Health Trust on donation inquiries, says the goal of the initiative is designed to help patients, visitors and staff to take a step back through time and enjoy the art that highlights our local heritage and our nation’s spectacular natural treasures.
“I learned a lot about our local artists and have come to truly appreciate their talents,” Harding says. “Not a day goes by that I don’t see someone — a patient, visitor or staff member — stopping to admire a piece.”
While Stroppel hopes his art helps patients feel a little bit better about their time in hospital, he admits the experience has also been therapeutic for him.
“As an artist, what I see at first are the imperfections in my work,” he says.
“But years after having painted them, those imperfections are no longer predominate. It’s like visiting old friends — I know them intimately. It certainly adds to my life expectancy.”
