Canvas Overview

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The Design Challenge

An interior space that does little to nothing to bridge the divide between it and the humanity of the people moving, working, and functioning with that space. This can be a waiting or exam room in a hospital that resonates as sterile, unfamiliar, and scary. Or it could be a corporate conference room that reflects stress and anxiety instead of well-being and focus. Even a lobby or reception area that communicates a disinterested, unwelcoming, clinical personality as opposed to a glad, welcoming and personable one.

The Impact

When the human experience is both the alpha and the omega – the starting priority and the end goal – of a space, the interaction between the space and the people within it is able to move beyond the merely transactional. A space can be empowered to affect human perceptions and emotions, which in turn influences human behavior. Maya Angelou stated, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Utilizing art as a core instrument of design is one of the most impactful solutions to helping people feel amazing.

The Solution

The idea of putting art on canvas is as ubiquitous as the idea of putting art on anything. Often serving as the chosen substrate upon which the original work itself was created, canvas offers a look and feel that is both timeless and elegant, organic and familiar. Thanks to a broad range of options, canvas is an incredibly flexible and versatile material capable of working beautifully in a wide range of styles and environments.

Design Recommendations

Canvas is the perfect solution for nearly any environment and settings. It creates an immediately familiar look and feel that reflects feelings of safety and security. Especially important in unfamiliar but highly intimate places like a patient room or an exam room. It can also cover the entire range between ‘relaxed and informal’ and ‘sophisticated and contemporary’. If one is struggling to select a substrate, canvas also works incredibly well as the go-to solution.

However for environments that tend to see more in the way of heat and humidity, or where the artwork may come into contact with fluids or probing fingers, an alternate and more durable substrate like acrylic or aluminum may be a better option. Note though that Great American Art has developed a method for increasing the strength and durability of a canvas piece through the addition of an MDF backer. This significantly increases a canvas piece’s ability to hold up the rigors of commercial use.

Canvas pieces also offer a wide range of custom framing solutions which includes float framed and gallery-wrapped, as well as framing solutions specifically developed for installations at Behavioral Health facilities.

Product Specifications

Great American Art canvas is made using 100% American-grown cotton coupled with modern manufacturing techniques, to create a long-lasting, premium quality fabric that looks at home in any setting. Artwork is giclée printed using archival-quality inks to ensure that the artwork is reproduced with the highest degree of accuracy. The canvas is then stretched over a frame crafted out of sustainably grown plantation pine. 

Custom framing options include a large selection of natural wood options, styles, and finishes.

All ligature-safe framing options for Behavioral Health comply with federal guidelines for artwork installations for Behavioral Health.

Note: Specific canvas material specifications will vary depending on imagery (photography vs. fine art) and other requirements (e.g. environmental conditions). In most cases ranges are given to indicate typical minimum and maximum measurements for the canvas used. Also, the higher the cotton content the more delicate the canvas. For environments where vulnerability to environmental factors like heat or humidity may be an issue, a polycotton blend with a greater polyester ratio is recommended.

Technical Specifications

•        Weight: 339 – 380 gsm
•        Thickness: 430 –480 microns.
•        Composition: Polycotton:35% cotton, 65% polyester (for photographic images), Full cotton: 100% cotton (for fine art reproductions)
•        Finish: Matte/Natural White
•        Opacity: 100%
•        Features: Acid-free, archival-quality
•        Framing Options: Framed, Gallery Wrapped, Ligature-safe, Float Framed
•        Additional Options: MDF Backer (for canvas pieces 4’ x 8’ or smaller)