Art Explora, a French nonprofit dedicated to promoting access to arts and culture, has partnered for several years with It Is Now, a French nonprofit with New York roots collaborating with artists to bring interactive digital artworks to children in hospitals. Together, they bring much-needed moments of joy and interactivity to challenging care journeys.
Beginning with a flagship project at Institut Imagine in Paris, benefiting more than 30,000 children each year, the program has since expanded to a growing number of locations across Europe and the United Kingdom. In this interview with Mélanie Rodriguez, Head of Patronage and Sponsorship at Art Explora, and Noémie Ganem, founder of It Is Now, we hear more about how this initiative supports hospitalized children’s well-being—and how U.S. philanthropy has played a vital role in making it possible.
Can you explain the idea behind Art Explora? What inspired it, what is your mission?
Art Explora is a public-interest foundation with a strong social mission: to reduce the cultural divide and make access to art and culture possible for as many people as possible.
The foundation was born from a simple but powerful observation: while art and culture have a profound impact on personal development, social cohesion, and well-being, access to them remains deeply unequal. Geographic distance, social barriers, economic constraints, and lack of exposure prevent many people—especially young people—from benefiting from cultural experiences.
Art Explora is driven by the conviction that mobility and digital tools can overcome these barriers. By bringing art directly to people—rather than waiting for people to come to traditional cultural institutions—the foundation develops innovative, inclusive projects that reach audiences who are often excluded from cultural life.
Working closely with institutional partners, artists, nonprofit organizations, patrons, and volunteers, Art Explora brings together all stakeholders who share a common ambition: fostering social connection, inclusion, and personal empowerment through art. At its core, we believe that access to culture is not a privilege, but a fundamental driver of individual growth and living together in society.
As a foundation dedicated to promoting art and culture, what made you decide to launch a program in healthcare settings?
Art Explora’s engagement in healthcare settings emerged naturally from our mission to reach the audiences most distant from cultural experiences. Children and young people in hospitals or care institutions often face long periods of isolation, stress, and emotional vulnerability, which severely limit their access to art, creativity, and collective experiences.
We strongly believe that art is not only a cultural resource, but also a powerful tool for well-being, resilience, and emotional expression. Numerous studies and field experiences show that artistic practices can help reduce anxiety, support mental health, stimulate imagination, and restore a sense of normalcy—especially for children facing illness or medical treatment.
With the It Is Now program in healthcare settings, Art Explora aims to bring moments of creativity, beauty, and freedom into environments that are often dominated by medical routines. The program creates meaningful encounters between art and young patients, offering them a space to express themselves, regain confidence, and reconnect with their imagination—here and now, despite difficult circumstances.
This initiative also reflects our broader vision of culture as a public good that should be present wherever life happens, including places of care.
How did your partnership with It Is Now begin?
One of those chance encounters life offers allowed our shared visions and intentions to meet. The partnership began in 2021. The founder of Art Explora aimed to democratize art and make culture accessible to all. After twelve years in hospital, Noémie, the founder of It Is Now, recognized the key role digital art could play in hospitals especially for children who are ill or living with disabilities.
These exchanges quickly revealed shared values and a common aspiration. We both believed in art as a powerful tool for inclusion, and for creating meaningful connections between people. The alignment was immediate. From this convergence of ideas and purpose, the partnership naturally took shape.
How are the artworks conceived to be accessible to children with a wide range of physical, sensory, or cognitive abilities?
The digital installations are built to be multisensory and intuitive, using light, sound, and movement so children can interact regardless of mobility or communication level. These works encourage exploration through simple gestures rather than verbal or fine motor skills, so kids with special needs can engage at their own pace. Their inclusive design aims to dissolve barriers so creativity and play become universally reachable within hospitals.
In what ways do these artistic experiences contribute to children’s emotional well-being alongside medical care?
Interactive art in hospitals offers an artistic experience full of joy, and creative stimulation at a moment when hospital environments can feel stressful or isolating. It engages curiosity and imagination, lifting mood and enabling shared moments with family, which can reduce anxiety and foster connection. These spaces act as emotional relief valves alongside treatment routines.
These installations are digital and interactive by design. Why is interactivity so important for children in medical settings, especially those with limited mobility or communication?
Interactivity turns a passive environment into a hands-on one: kids can “do” instead of just “watch.” Movement-based triggers boost engagement, whether or not a child has special needs. For those with communication challenges, nonverbal interaction becomes a powerful form of expression. Interactivity lets children, including those with disabilities, become creators and regain a sense of control through artistic experiences. Digital art gives them a way to express themselves, connect with others, and take a brief escape, allowing them to dream and find wonder even in a challenging hospital setting.
What kinds of reactions or feedback have you received from children, families, and healthcare staff? Have you witnessed any unexpected reactions?
Feedback from hospital partners highlights joy, calm, and deep engagement from patients and families. Medical staff have noted that children often spend extended time interacting, which can ease transitions between procedures or waiting periods for medical appointments. Many caregivers remark on moments of genuine laughter or wonder, unexpected emotional lifts in tough environments.
Families understand the value of the digital art, which brings something new compared to the waiting rooms they are used to. They like that it offers children a positive, active activity that engages their imagination and body, helping to distract them from what can be a long wait. The installation fills a gap where just toys used to be, making the space more engaging for children.
Teenagers react unexpectedly when taking and posting selfies, while the ideal age for this activity is 5 to 12 years old.
This program has expanded to hospitals in France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. What has stayed constant across countries, and what has surprised you as the project has grown?
Across geographies, the universal response is that children of all backgrounds connect with the digital contents: curiosity and playfulness don’t require shared language or culture.
What makes a hospital a good fit for an installation?
We target major children’s hospitals where many kids face chronic illnesses, disabilities, or neurological conditions. Our installations are perfect for hospitals with large, high-traffic lobbies. Our installations are perfect for hospitals aiming to improve the patient experience offering a welcoming environment for families and caregivers.
What does it take to design and install one artwork, how long is the process, and what is the cost?
Once a project is launched, setting up the screens, frames, technical equipment, and artistic content takes about eight weeks, with the installation itself usually completed in two days. Since we currently reuse pre-existing artistic content, the entire process typically takes between two and three months from start to finish.
The cost covers artist fees, technical hardware and software, and installation support. The average cost is around €25,000 for an installation that lasts between 5 and 7 years, with the artistic content being renewed annually.
Can you tell us about the new artworks that have recently opened or will be installed soon?
The digital artwork Seasons by Arnaud Laffond, recently installed in several hospitals across France, was created following a call for projects organized with the Art Explora Foundation. Arnaud Laffond was selected from a large pool of artists to create the piece. We’ve also worked with artists like Danny Rose and Mouawad/Laurier, as well as Enjmin University, a digital art school in France.
We’ve completed 14 installations since 2021. Upcoming projects are planned for Lille, Paris, and London.
How can U.S. donors support this program, and what do their donations make possible for the children in these hospitals and care institutions?
U.S. donors play a decisive and indispensable role in the success and growth of the It Is Now program. In 2025, donations from the United States represented more than half of the total funding received for this initiative, making American philanthropy a cornerstone of the project’s development.
Today, the program relies almost entirely on the generosity of private donors to exist and expand. It is thanks to these donations that Art Explora is able to install artistic digital screens in hospitals and care institutions, transforming medical environments into spaces of creativity, imagination, and emotional relief for children.
Donor contributions make it possible to design, produce, and install immersive artistic screens adapted to hospital settings. They also enable commissioning artists and curating high-quality digital artworks specifically created for children in care. Donations also ensure the long-term sustainability of the installations by supporting technical maintenance.
Donations are also vital to expanding the program, helping more children in more institutions access the artworks. Thanks to the continued support of generous U.S. donors, Art Explora is now able not only to scale the program across France, but also to deploy it internationally, notably in Spain and the United Kingdom, with the ambition to reach even more young patients in the years to come.
For children in hospitals and care institutions, these donations create moments of wonder, escape, and emotional expression. They offer access to art at a time when mobility is restricted and everyday life is shaped by medical care. By supporting It Is Now, U.S. donors are directly contributing to bringing beauty, dignity, and hope into places where they are most needed—and are enabling a truly international movement for access to art and well-being.
