A graduate student with the University of Saskatchewan wants to hear from former employees and residents of the former Saskatchewan Hospital, now known as the Souris Valley Extended Care Centre, for a research project.

Elizabeth Matheson is an art historian researching the art therapy programs and architectural therapeutic design programs established during the 1950s at the hospital. She plans an exhibition and publication as part of a graduate degree.

She is interested in how the hospital influenced art therapy and the use of architectural space in mental health care, concentrating on the medical landscape during the mid-20th century in Western Canada.

The multi-faceted project will also look at the historical and socio-cultural context of the Weyburn Mental Hospital in the post-war era, said Matheson.

Matheson's interest began 10 years ago when she visited Weyburn as part of an exhibition with the Saskatoon Mendel Art Gallery.

"I was told to go see the 1960s wall mural in the hospital and, as a consequence, I began to understand the hospital's international reputation and the kind of innovative programs developed there," she said.

She credits Dr. Humphrey Osmond, who died in 2004, as being the catalyst for the innovation that occurred at the hospital.

"He was very empathetic to the social conditions of the residents at the time. He saw them as a whole person, and wanted to find ways to help them cope with their illness, particularly schizophrenia," she said.

After years of archival research, Matheson is anxious to begin personal, confidential interviews. Elizabeth Matheson can be contacted by e-mail at: e.matheson@usask.ca

Those interested in contacting her may also write Matheson at the following address: the University of Saskatchewan, Department of Art and Art History, Murray Building, Saskatoon, S7N 5A4.