Lower Keys Medical Center Acquires Five Local Artworks for Lobby, Patient Rooms
Lower Keys Medical Center bought five original works by Florida Keys artists to display in its main lobby, with prints placed in newly renovated patient rooms to brighten care spaces.
1. "Palms at Fort Zachary" — Maggie Ruley
The hospital purchased Maggie Ruley’s “Palms at Fort Zachary” through the Florida Keys Council of the Arts Art in Public Buildings program and will display the original in Lower Keys Medical Center’s main lobby. The works were “chosen by a hospital committee,” and prints of Ruley’s piece will be hung in the facility’s newly renovated patient rooms, extending the visual benefit into clinical spaces. Elizabeth Young, executive director of the Florida Keys Council of the Arts, said, “The works chosen by a hospital committee highlight the unique beauty and character of Key West. Interacting with art can promote healing and well-being. We are delighted to collaborate with Lower Keys Medical Center and our talented Key West artists on this project.”
2. "Key West Sky" — Maggie Ruley
Ruley is one of two artists with multiple selections in the purchase; “Key West Sky” is the second original by her acquired for the lobby collection. LKMC announced the purchases on Feb. 19, 2026, crediting the Florida Keys Council of the Arts as partner and curator for the Art in Public Buildings program and noting hospital leadership’s role in selection. The partnership brings local cultural labor into the hospital setting and ensures that reproductions of Ruley’s work will be reproduced as prints and placed in the newly refreshed patient rooms so a wider group of patients and visitors can see Key West landscapes during their stay.
3. "Starlight on Olivia Street" — Erin Nelson
Erin Nelson’s “Starlight on Olivia Street” is among the five originals bought for the lobby; Nelson was also pictured with Lower Keys Medical Center leadership and Florida Keys Council of the Arts staff in a chamber posting that accompanied the announcement. Drew Bigby, chief executive officer of Lower Keys Medical Center, expressed the hospital’s intent to make local art part of the patient, visitor and employee experience: “We are delighted to feature local artists for our patients, visitors and employees to enjoy, and thank the Florida Keys Council of the Arts for their assistance in curating this installation.” The inclusion of Nelson’s street-scene work signals an emphasis on art that reflects lived local places, not abstracted images, so patients can encounter familiar neighborhoods while receiving care.
4. "Sunrise at Saddlebunch Keys" — Jim Salem
Jim Salem’s “Sunrise at Saddlebunch Keys” joins the other originals being installed in the main lobby, with prints scheduled for display in patient rooms that have recently been renovated. As KeysNews reported from the Lower Florida Keys Hospital District Board meeting, “Officials reported that the refresh of 24 patient rooms and the surgical waiting room has been completed and that the rooms are currently full. Phase three of hospital improvements is expected to begin soon.” Placing Salem’s coastal sunrise imagery into those refreshed rooms ties the art acquisition directly to concrete facility upgrades intended to improve the patient environment.
5. "Old Town Bakery" — Andy Thurber
Andy Thurber’s “Old Town Bakery” completes the set of five originals purchased for the lobby and reproduced for patient rooms; the collection was announced publicly on Feb. 19, 2026. The art purchase arrives against a backdrop of governance and operational planning for LKMC: Community Health Systems has operated the hospital since 1999 and its lease expires in 2029, prompting the Lower Florida Keys Hospital District Board to prepare a Request for Proposals for a future operator, with a draft expected for review in April. Board Chair Erica Sterling described the operator selection as “the most important decision for this community in the near future” and said the board is committed to “doing this right,” while stakeholders urged that a future operator “reduces patient transfers, increases net revenue, expands access to specialists and limits the need for residents to travel to Miami for care.” In that policy context, the visible investment in art and room refreshes reflects both a patient-centered amenity strategy and a broader effort to strengthen local care environments as the district plans potential multi-year transitions.
Conclusion: By purchasing five original artworks from local artists via the Florida Keys Council of the Arts’ Art in Public Buildings program and placing prints in newly renovated rooms, Lower Keys Medical Center is making a visible, immediate investment in the patient experience while the district prepares for operator decisions and further facility upgrades — a small but tangible step linking cultural support for local artists with ongoing efforts to improve health-care access and the quality of care in Monroe County.
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