New Mural Brings Community Touch to Stanford Hospital

“Valley of Hope” is a 90-foot mural at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford created by Stanford Medical Humanities and the Arts Program Artist in Residence Ryan Anthony Martinez. Inspired by California landscapes and wildlife, the mural transforms a previously sterile hospital corridor into a more welcoming environment. Young patients and hospital staff contributed to the painting, making the project a collaborative experience and giving the hospital community a sense of ownership over the work. The mural is part of the hospital’s use of art to help reduce anxiety and make the clinical environment feel more comfortable. Martinez also used virtual reality technology to transfer and scale his digital design onto the hospital walls, a technique he plans to use again in future mural projects.