KU News Release

KU art students completing project for Douglas County Dental Clinic

LAWRENCE — As part of the Drawing Connections: Art@Work course, University of Kansas fine arts students will complete an art project in the coming weeks at the Douglas County Dental Clinic, 316 Maine St.

Four students, supervised by Carol Ann Carter, professor of art, have spent the semester creating a stimulating and interactive visual environment in the children’s operatory at the dental clinic. KU’s Center for Service Learning linked the students and the clinic with a project that would connect the course material regarding public art to a specific project ultimately benefiting the community.

Julie Branstrom, executive director of the dental clinic, helped begin the project by moving the children’s operatory and building a wall to create optimal space for various art pieces. Pictures of actual clinic patients will radiate from X-ray boxes; clipboards will encourage interactive play and educate children on dental hygiene; and collages will combine familiar landmarks and objects with pictures of healthy teeth.

“(The pieces) will give the children and adults who receive dental treatment in the clinic something interesting to look at while they are here. It will be something that may help take their mind off of any nervousness they might feel. Sometimes going to the dentist, especially if you are in pain, can be a scary thing,” Branstrom said.

“As artists we are always looking for galleries. Through this project the dental clinic becomes a gallery. It is a positive and unusual venue,” Carter said.

The four students are combining their respective majors, interests and mediums to create public art that will engage, educate and ease dental clinic patients.

“As artists we can get trapped inside the gallery where it’s all about presenting ourselves. With this project, we’re needing to step outside of our perspective to communicate and connect with the community,” said Chad Askew, Prairie Village master’s student in gifted education and art education.

“This project has allowed me to reach a population outside of the gallery, school or ‘fine art’ setting,” said Megan Graf, St. Louis, Mo., senior in painting and psychology.

Carter and the students are accepting donations for the materials used in the project. The Douglas County Dental Clinic is a nonprofit community dental clinic dedicated to providing quality dental care to low income and uninsured county residents. The mission of the Center for Service Learning is to to make service learning a priority and core value at KU.

The students working on the dental clinic project are listed below by hometown, level in school, major, parents’ names and high schools (when available).

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Prairie Village 66208
Chad Benjamin Askew, master’s degree student in curriculum and instruction, specializing in gifted education and art education, son of Laura Pegram; bachelor’s in art education from KU; Shawnee Mission North High School.

Overland Park 66209
Thaddeus Anthony “Valentine” Lewis, senior in painting, son of Matthew and Rada Lewis; Blue Valley North High School.

SEDGWICK COUNTY
From Wichita 67218
Matthew Farley, senior in art history, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Farley; Wichita High School East.

MISSOURI
From St. Louis 63376
Megan Graf, senior in painting and psychology; daughter of Steve Graf; Fort Zumwalt High School, St. Peters, Mo.

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