Students inspiring students
If you are just returning to campus after a summer break – or are new to the Health Sciences Center – you may have noticed some colorful new murals that popped up around us over the past few months.
All are the work of WVU students. They responded to an invitation during the last school year to submit portfolios and ideas to add art to our environment. The selected artists each were given a big area of wall and told to let their imagination run free.
The results are great, and they’re changing the place for the better. Each one tells a story:
A loving family
Art student Jacqueline Circkirillo painted "Our Home Among the Hills" on the wall opposite the bookstore on the ground floor.
“I was inspired by the community that welcomes you in as part of a massive, loving family here at WVU,” she said, “as well as West Virginia's majestic landscapes and rich heritage. The multitude of colors I chose represents each and every one of us and the life that this campus gives us.”
The title refers to a song most West Virginians know, "My Home Among the Hills," by E.W. James, Jr. “I wanted to emphasize that it is more than just ‘my’ home, but ‘ours’ to share,” Jacqueline added.
Mindfulness of beauty
Ph.D. candidate Xue (Snow) Feng from the in the Health Services and Outcomes Research program created “Foggy Mountains” on the second floor near the Learning Center.
“I found the beauty of West Virginia at its foggy mountains. They inspired me to draw,” she said “I hope my artwork can inspire you –being mindful of beauty in our everyday life.”
A common focus
Dental student Ian M. Weaver was thinking about interprofessional work at Health Sciences when he drew the "Cathedral of Learning" mural outside the Fukushima Auditorium.
“This piece is inspired by my love of stained glass windows,” he said. “Each window represents a different program: Basic Sciences, Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy with the nervous, muscular, skeletal and circulatory systems between them. I've used color and symbols to represent basic aspects of each profession for instance, the background colors come from each profession's doctoral hood and the green in everyone's eyes represents a common focus on health care.”
Collaboration and teamwork
Interdisciplinary work also inspired Laura García Calvo, a Spring 2017 Spanish and Linguistics graduate, to create “Lab Table” in the ground-floor vending area in Health Sciences North.
“I wanted to express the concept of collaboration and teamwork that exist in the medical field by organizing different professionals working together around the same table,” she said. “These professionals and the gadgets they use all have different random sizes, which conveys that they all have the same importance. Also I wanted it to be very colorful to convey positive ideas such as progress and innovation.”
I truly appreciate the thought and artistry that each of these students brought to this project. Please join me in thanking them, and the helpful WVU Facilities staff who found spots for this art all around our campus.