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A large handmade HOPE sign in the lobby of the Inova Schar Cancer Institute offers patients another source of encouragement alongside the center’s medical care and technology.

The collage-covered letters feature artwork and messages created by patients, relatives, caregivers and staff with help from members of the Smith Center Artists-in-Residence Program. Participants could work at the center or take materials home, and no artistic experience was required.

Artist-in-residence Tinu Prakash contributed a portrait of Jennifer Bires, a leader who recognized how art could help reduce burnout among Schar employees.

Kailey, 13, drew a nurse wearing a Superman shirt and described medical and essential workers as the “unsung heroes.”

Another contribution, titled “Lemons, Oranges, and Limes, Oh My!,” depicts a bowl of fruit. It was inspired by a visitor who brought a backpack filled with fresh fruit from his California yard. His father, a Schar patient, enjoyed picking fruit there during visits. The visitor said a surgeon later reported that all of his father’s cancer had been removed and chemotherapy was unnecessary.

The project was designed around gratitude, healing and hope for everyone affected by cancer. Patients who discover their own work—or see contributions from others—within the larger display can find comfort in the reminder that they are not facing cancer alone.

Inova continues to add artwork in response to patient needs, new acquisitions and changing ideas about designing restorative spaces, keeping the center’s surroundings connected to its community.