Gallery of Gratitude and hospital-wide art program reflect the people behind a new era of care in the Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower
NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C., May 27, 2026 – As the new Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower at Royal Columbian Hospital prepares to welcome patients, families and care teams, Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation is highlighting a significant investment in art designed to help make the hospital experience more welcoming, reflective and connected to community.
Through a $600,000 contribution supporting art throughout the new tower, the Foundation has helped bring dozens of original works and large-scale installations into one of British Columbia’s most advanced centres for acute and critical care.
Among the most anticipated additions is the Gallery of Gratitude, a permanent art installation that will be unveiled this fall. Inspired by an original work created by Indigenous artist Elinor Atkins, the installation will recreate her artwork using hundreds of individual portrait photographs submitted by donors, hospital staff, physicians, construction teams and community members.
Together, the portraits will form a large-scale mosaic that reflects the generosity, compassion and shared commitment that helped bring the Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower to life.
“The Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower represents a transformative new chapter for care at Royal Columbian Hospital, and we wanted the spaces within it to reflect not only innovation in health care, but also humanity, gratitude and community,” said Jeff Norris, President and CEO of Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation. “The Gallery of Gratitude will permanently recognize the many people who helped make this new era of care possible, while creating a meaningful and welcoming experience for patients, families and care teams.”
Atkins, whose original artwork will also be installed in the tower’s new Emergency Department, is a Kwantlen First Nation artist whose work often explores themes of connection, identity, nature and belonging. Through the Gallery of Gratitude, her piece will take on an added dimension as hundreds of individual portraits come together to form a single collective image.
Completed installations to date include 30 artworks and eight wrapped columns located throughout the main lobby. The artwork program was carefully curated to align with the architectural and environmental themes woven throughout the tower, many of which are inspired by the Fraser River and the natural landscape surrounding the hospital.
The integration of art throughout the building was designed to complement the tower’s patient-centred approach to care by creating calming, uplifting and culturally meaningful spaces for those navigating some of life’s most difficult moments.
“The experience of a hospital extends beyond medicine and technology,” said Norris. “Art has the ability to comfort, ground and connect people. We are proud to support installations that recognize culture, community and the human experience alongside the extraordinary care that will take place inside this building.”
With its upcoming opening, the Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower represents a significant step forward in the future of care at Royal Columbian Hospital. Designed to support patients, families and care teams through some of life’s most urgent and complex moments, the new tower will help create a more modern, integrated and compassionate environment for care for generations to come.
About Royal Columbian Hospital
As BC’s most comprehensive critical care hospital, one in three British Columbians rely on Royal Columbian Hospital. We are the only hospital in BC with trauma, cardiac, neurosciences, high-risk obstetrics and neonatal intensive care on one site. We look after some of the most seriously ill and injured patients, and we do it with the support of donors like you.
Since 1978, donors to Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation have helped fund priority equipment needs, facility enhancements, research, education and innovation at Royal Columbian Hospital. Visit rchfoundation.com for more information.
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For more information, please contact:
Jason Howe
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation
C: 236.332.0798
Jason.Howe@fraserhealth.ca
