The whimsical collection of marine-inspired sculptures created by Covington artist Robert Post to hang through pediatric areas of St. Tammany Health System can be described in any number of ways.
They are colorful, they are imaginative, they are eye catching and they are absolutely adorable.
They are also undeniably BIG, with some measuring more than 5 feet in length.
They didn’t start that way, though – and that brings us to today’s installment in our 70-part series chronicling the hospital’s 70-year history.
Installment No. 63: A grand evolution
Today’s artifact: A collection of small Reefies maquettes crafted by artist Robert Post to serve as references for production of the 10 larger Reefies – soon to be a dozen – on display at St. Tammany Health System as part of the nonprofit St. Tammany Health Foundation’s award-winning Healing Arts Initiative, designed to promote healing through the presence of art.
Why they are significant: Even the biggest ideas often start out small.
That’s definitely the case when Post makes his oversized Reefies sculptures, each of which begins as a sketch that he uses as inspiration for a small model, some 6 inches long or so. That model – or “maquette,” as they are called in art circles – is then used as a 3-D guide as the finished product is completed.
In addition to providing a fascinating peek behind the curtain and into Post’s process, the maquettes he made for his series of St. Tammany Health System Reefies – which include fanciful versions of dolphins, seahorses, fish, shrimp, otters, alligators and more – are also in a way reminiscent of the hospital itself.
Like them, it started out small, as a 30-bed country hospital located on a piney lot on the city’s outskirts. But, also like the maquettes, it would evolve into something much bigger and more impactful.
Today, on the verge of its 70th anniversary, St. Tammany Health System is a regional health system with dozens of facilities across the Northshore providing convenient, compassionate and comprehensive healthcare for local residents.
And it isn’t done growing yet. Among construction projects in the pipeline for the health system is a purpose-built facility on Louisiana 21 designed specifically to deliver world-class women and children’s care. Commissioned as part of the foundation’s donor-funded Healing Arts Initiative were several Reefies that will be prominently displayed in the new complex.
Like Post’s Reefies, that is a big deal, if we don’t say so ourselves.
Do you have a St. Tammany Parish Hospital story or item to share? We’d love to hear about it! Email us at CommDept@stph.org.
Next week – Installment No. 64: The secret ingredient
Last week – Installment No. 62: Hail to the chiefs