Artists and Staff of AWE and Laguna Honda Hospital at “Art With Elders: The Power of Creativity and Community” exhibition opening event, SF City Hall with Mayor Breed and SFDPH Grant Colfax

Artists and visitors enjoy art and music during an exhibit of works created in the AWE art classes at Laguna Honda Hospital Volunteer Griffin Johnson shares a thought with artist Ida Marksman during the AWE at Laguna Honda art class

In 1991 Art With Elders and the SF Department of Public Health-Laguna Honda Hospital, with support from CityBridge, began a partnership to offer the many health benefits of a creative practice to its residents.

In 2010, when the City of San Francisco designed the new facilities for Laguna Honda Hospital, they consulted with Mark Campbell, Program Director for AWE at Laguna Honda, to create an ideal art classroom for Laguna Honda Hospital students. Today AWE engages Laguna Honda Hospital residents in that studio in 6 weekly art classes.

“Our partnership with the City of San Francisco, the San Francisco Department of Public Health, CityBridge and Laguna Honda Hospital (LHH) has been a crown jewel for Art with Elders. We started AWE at LHH 30 years ago with the wholehearted support of then LHH CEO Larry Funk. Since then, not only do we consider the residents there an essential part of our family, but the breadth and depth of our partnership has grown far beyond our initial expectations. Our art studio is located prominently on the first floor, and we are invited to open our annual exhibition each year in LLH’s famed Gerald Simon Theatre. We remain extremely grateful for this symbiosis and look forward to a bright future with our LHH family.” – Mark Campbell, AWE Executive Director and AWE Program Director at Laguna Honda.

From Senior Beat Jan. 2023 by Judy Goddess:

Longtime Laguna Honda Hospital residents hang on under cloud of relocation from their longtime home and safe haven

Faces of Laguna Honda


Faces of Laguna Honda:
with Ida, Tony, Virginia, Insio, Mark

Artists Deborah, Ida, Walter and Jeff at SF City Hall Exhibit Opening


Photos by Minoosh Zomorodina