Spacesuit Art Project
The Space for Art story began with the awesomeness of the Spacesuit Art Project. In 2015, one of our founding directors, Ian Cion, shared a bold and heartfelt idea with our dear friend Gordon Andrews at NASA’s Johnson Space Center: an art spacesuit to be created through Ian’s work with children in the Arts in Medicine Program he founded and led at the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center Children’s Cancer Hospital in Houston, Texas. That led to an introduction to David Graziosi at ILC Dover and the Spacesuit Art Project came to life. (Be sure to watch the beautiful Space for Art film).
What started with one artist and children undergoing pediatric cancer treatment at a single hospital has blossomed into a planetary Space for Art community. Through the Space for Art Foundation, this community now includes children in hospitals, refugee centers, orphanages, & schools from all around the world (our Artonauts); along with many artists, astronauts, space professionals like THE spacesuit company ILC Dover, and health experts and organizations. Together, we continue on our shared mission of Space, Art, & Healing 🚀🎨🌎💖
Hope & Ian
Art Spacesuits Unity and Hope and young artist strolling on "Mars"
Reid & Nicole meeting with a young artist at the University of TX MD Anderson Pediatric Cancer Center in Houston
Hamoud reunited with his painting & meets Exploration in Paris!
Art Spacesuits Unity and Hope and young artist strolling on "Mars"
DREAMER onboard the ISS with members of the Expedition 65 crew ~ Mark Vande Hei (NASA), Pyotr Dubrov (RSA), Megan McArthur (NASA), Oleg Novitsky (RSA) & Thomas Pesquet (ESA).
To date, the Space for Art Foundation has facilitated the creation of ten life-sized (8 adult & 2 kid) art spacesuits. HOPE, COURAGE**, UNITY**, VICTORY**, DREAMER**, EXPLORATION, BEYOND. INFINITY and little suits ETERNITY and OPPORTUNITY ~ all are named to capture the strength & vision of the children from around the planet who helped create them. **Four of these suits have even traveled to and from the International Space Station (ISS).
We are fortunate to have the continued partnership with spacesuit company ILC Dover Astrospace and UNITY Foundation.
Art Spacesuits in space ~ COURAGE with Kate Rubins (ISS Exp 48, 2016); UNITY with Peggy Whitson (ISS Exp 52, 2017); and VICTORY with Exp 53 Crew (2017).
Our latest spacesuit art creations are BEYOND, INFINITY, ETERNITY and OPPORTUNITY.
BEYOND was created as the ambassador for Spaceship Earth - sharing a message of the connection between personal & planetary health, and as a beautiful reminder that we are all Earthlings living together on a planetary spaceship.
All of the artwork for BEYOND was collected during the 2 years of COVID pandemic ~ a time when every child on Earth was dealing with a stressful time of isolation and concern for their health and well-being. We are thankful to our network of Earthlings who helped us reach out around the world to engage with so many incredible Artonauts. ILC Dover (THE spacesuit company) quilted together over 800 pieces of artwork from children in hospitals, refugee centers, orphanages, & schools in all 192 countries on the planet.
#planet #earthlings #thinblueline #crewnotpassengers
BEYOND made its debut at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland (Nov 2021).
(In partnership with ActionAid International & UNICEF)
Completed in late 2024, the INFINITY Art Spacesuit was created using special black fabric napkins as the canvas for the children's artwork. These napkins were generously provided to us from the OMEGA Watch Company and they're special because they were part of the 50th anniversary celebration in 2019 of the historic Apollo 11 Moon mission. These beautiful black napkins were embellished with a border of golden embroidery and a little golden astronaut in the corner. The theme shared with the children for the INFINITY spacesuit was 'time and space' ~ a reflection on our place in the universe.
We were fortunate to work with many children from around the world and collected a lot of artwork -- enough to be allow the creation of two small art spacesuits that we've named ETERNITY and OPPORTUNITY. We're grateful for the partnership with a wonderful organization called MOZAIC who quilted together these two little suits.
While we can never promise a trip to space, we are of course hopeful that we'll someday see INFINITY in space too!
