Cincinnati, Ohio, March 4, 2015 – Guests and professionals visiting the new Location T Research Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center may now enjoy design work from several Saint Ursula Academy (SUA) students. 16 Design 4 students created designs to be displayed as part of a unique project.
Site planners at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital asked Saint Ursula design educator Alison Probst to work with her students to create designs that reflected a healing environment and brought to life their commitment to patient/family centered care. The challenge was to use color with mixed media to create unique designs. The designs needed to be uniquely reflective of the Children’s Hospital culture: welcoming and inviting, inspiring uplifting, supportive, warm, calming, soothing, and safe. They also needed to be durable and maintainable.
After reviewing the criteria, Mrs. Probst challenged her class to create a display of the ecosystems made entirely of cut paper. Each student spent time doing research and selected a part of the body to feature. Each then skillfully used color and cutouts to create beautiful images. Each tells a story.
Elena Helmers-Wegman ’15 of Price Hill focused on osteoporosis, specifically the bones of an 89-year-old woman. She was impressed by the personality of her work. “You could imagine the person it came from. The very detailed work was created by drawing the forms and then cutting the paper a bit at a time. In addition to learning about osteoporosis through research, Elena says she also learned about the design and proof process.
Christine Ahrnsen ’15 of Mt. Airy decided to create a vibrant coral reef. She said, “I tried to create a piece with bright colors to bring out happy feelings. I wanted to be artistic.”
Natalie Heller ‘15 of Loveland focused on the cerebellum. “I looked at microscopic pictures and that was the basis of my work,” said Heller. “I was interested to see the pictures and see how it correlates in the body. I learned a lot from my research and tried to use color to show it.”
The students met the challenge and designs by ALL 16 of Probst’s students are now on display. She loved watching the concepts come to life in her classroom.
“For me, watching the girls' illustrious interpretations of ecosystems based on the microphotography thereof unfold, was and is a triumph of their aesthetic sensibility and endurance,” said Saint Ursula Design Educator Alison Probst. “I can't wait to see the work on permanent display at the Location T site!”
To learn more about St. Ursula Academy and it’s fine arts programming, please visit www.saintursula.org.
St. Ursula Academy is a Catholic, college-preparatory, secondary school for young women known for academic excellence and rich tradition. St. Ursula welcomes students from more than 70 grade schools in the Greater Cincinnati area. In 2002 the Academy was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School. The campus, located at 1339 E. McMillan Street in East Walnut Hills has been the home of St. Ursula Academy and Convent since 1910. The Class of 2014 earned college scholarships totaling more than $20-million.