ArtWorks Unveils New Murals

On August 20, a  new mural created by ArtWorks artists and medical students made its debut in the University of Arizona (U of A) College of Medicine - Tucson’s social hall.

ArtWorks is an outreach program housed in the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities that promotes community and mutual learning through creative and expressive arts interactions between adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and University of Arizona students. Together, they create a safe space for expression, connection, and growth for the artists, students, and community. 

The unveiling ceremony began with  Anna Lando, MD, director of the Commitment to Underserved People (CUP) program, introducing the event. CUP is a student-managed and student-directed collection of service learning programs that provide U of A students with opportunities to work with medically underserved populations through the provision of clinical care, health education and mentoring.

One of these programs is ArtWorks, established in 2004. Through the ArtWorks-CUP collaboration, medical students can collaborate with individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities on artistic projects. Students gain valuable insight into the many factors that affect the health and well-being of their patients, ArtWorks artists practice communication and goal-setting, and everyone contributes to art that brings the community together. 

“The array of programs that CUP serves help medical students connect with underserved populations in a variety of ways, and ArtWorks is one of the beautiful ways it does that,” Lando said. “For almost 20 years, medical students have been working with all the wonderful artists at the Artworks program to share these creative, expressive interactions and make wonderful memories,”

“With this event specifically, we are introducing these beautiful murals that our artists and medical students created. These are murals commissioned by the College of Medicine as a bridge between community education, research and patient care.” 

Following Lando’s introduction, Family and Community Medicine Department Chair Kristen Rundell, MD, spoke on how art contributes to a healthy, vibrant community. 

“I want to thank all the artists and medical students for preparing these murals for us, so that so many people can enjoy them. You may not know how much joy you bring to people. Thank you so much for contributing to the health of others and making them feel special,” Rundell said.  

Next, ArtWorks director Yumi Shirai, PhD, spoke on the collaborative aspect of the project, which brought together U of A medical students and ArtWorks artists. 

“It's truly exciting to see ArtWorks capturing the interest of the broader community—not just ArtWorks artists or art enthusiasts, but the wider University campus as well” Shirai said

“Art is a very flexible tool. ArtWorks really finds the mutual interests between educators, students, artists, and our community: How can we make this program together? The mural is one of those things. Art can really promote inclusivity and equity in community health, and we are demonstrating that,” Shirai added. 

Then, Madison Hillis (a second year medical student) and Elizabeth Vargus (Instructional specialist and Gallery Coordinator at ArtWorks) explained the process of creating the mural, noting how the artists were given tours of COM-T facilities by medical students. 

“Through this process we found out we have a lot to learn from each other. Our artists learned about being a medical professional and medical students learned about not just our community of people, but about art making,” Vargus said

“I truly believe this project embodies our longstanding collaboration and connection with each other. When we, as medical students, go to ArtWorks, we go to learn. Learn about art, of course, but also about the artists themselves and what they do in their daily lives. And we learn how to communicate with, work with, and build connections with people who have different abilities and life experiences from us.” said Hillis. “With this project… the artists and students have been able to explore the College of Medicine’s mission statement, and what those concepts of being a doctor and researcher actually look like when we draw them on paper. Having the murals displayed here is a physical symbol of the continuing partnership between ArtWorks and the College of Medicine.”

Finally, the ribbon on the door to the room containing the mural was cut (with a pair of large novelty scissors) and participants were invited to see the mural.

The mural consists of three panels, each representing the principles of the College of Family and Community Medicine: Education, Research, and Patient Care. The panels are a mix of styles: a collage of hand-drawn pieces depicting many different aspects of healthcare and health education are set on top of an abstract blue and white background that evokes the shape and structure of a cell. 

The artists were given an opportunity to speak about their work.

“My paintings! Right as you walk in!” said artist Brad Linnenkamp, beaming with pride. “I liked working on the paintings. It was hard cutting out [the pieces]”

Another artist, Abby, said her favorite panel to work on was Patient Care. 

Examining the mural, artist Tony simply said, “I love it.”

“It was really fun because we saw all the med students. And the [lab] mice! The background was a brain teaser. We used string, we used a brush, we used a lot of stuff. I made the nurse here,” said Jack, pointing out one of his drawings.

Vicky said, “It’s fun doing the collages. We did the cutting and gluing and the pasting. I hope you enjoy the three presentation boards and love it a lot. This is everything. Everything that ArtWorks did for you guys. We are a second family at ArtWorks.” 

The mural can be viewed in the COM-T Social Hall, in Room 2500 of the College of Medicine Center on 1501 North Campbell Avenue, Tucson AZ.