Using Student Art to Promote Wellness at a Canandaigua Hospital

Three Art & Design majors, along with their professor, complete a series of murals at Thompson Hospital.


Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Keuka College art and design majors Mary Glaccum ’21, Ashley Knapp ’20, and Ayrielle Zeno ’19, recently completed a Field Period® experience creating and painting colorful murals in the stairwells of Canandaigua’s F.F. Thompson Hospital.

Under the guidance of Keuka College Associate Professor of Art Melissa Newcomb, the students created murals depicting Canandaigua Lake scenes including the lakeshore, docks, and sunsets.

“I hope I never need to be in the hospital, but if I do, I look forward to taking the stairs,” says Keuka College Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Brad Fuster.

The artists say that’s exactly the point. The brightly colored artwork is designed to promote wellness by encouraging people to bypass the elevators for the stairs.

“We’ve gotten a ton of compliments,” says Melissa. “The students had a blast and so did I!”