Brought To You By Rapides Parish School Board
Looking past the limitations of traditional artwork mounting, Talented Arts teacher Charissa Owens and Local Recovery Coordinator Bradley Allison, devised a plan to bring optimism and light to patients at the VA Hospital.
Owens sourced a vendor and converted her students’ artwork into wallpaper. This allows the pieces of art to safely hang in the hospital.
Bradley Allison, LCSW, BACS, who serves as the Local Recovery Coordinator for the VA, says, “This project grew from the want to have something beautiful and uplifting for our patients.”
The patients at the hospital voted on their favorite designs, and the Rapides Parish School Board members voted, as well. The result is a community-driven art installation that allows students to feel connected to veterans and vice versa.
“It means the world to all of us as Talented Art teachers to see our students create art for a good cause. That is what is at the heart of this Talented Art program. We love to encourage our students to create art to make people feel. That is what art is meant to do: create a feeling,” Owens says.
The artwork was presented at a press conference in the VA Hospital’s auditorium along with the teachers, artists, and their families.
“We were thrilled to be a part of this project with our students and to have the opportunity to support them while they created work that would be displayed in the community. Our world needs more people working together for a common good and we were happy to do our part. We hope to inspire more partnerships across the community to bring student art into hospitals and businesses. After all, art is such a powerful tool that can truly unite us all,” Owens says.
Working to create opportunities and relationships beyond the “four walls of the classroom” is another way students can learn to tap their maximum potential. This collaboration exemplifies the positive power of art and community.
