Face to face: KCAD students team up with DeVos Children's Hospital to create patient portraits

On May 30 at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, kids' faces out-sparkled the mosaics and out-dazzled the architecture as they encountered their own likenesses on display.

The patient portraits were the highpoint of a class project arranged by Lisa Ambrose, adjunct instructor at Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD), located at 17 Fountain St. NW in Grand Rapids. Ambrose partnered with the hospital's Child Life Specialists to create a special event connecting her senior illustration students with children receiving treatment at the hospital, located at 100 Michigan Ave. NE in Grand Rapids.

"Art and kids just go together," says Ambrose. "When you've got kids who are dealing with difficult things, it's nice to give them something else to think about."

Each student was matched up with a young patient who volunteered for the program. Kendall provided the materials, and the patients created their own artwork under the guidance of the students.

"I enjoyed being there as a teacher, not just an artist," says KCAD student Mike McClellan. "It was fulfilling to help someone else learn from something that I know how to do, and great to help people feel happy when they're going through something so serious."

The students worked with the patients to help them create self-portraits, and then created portraits of the patients. When the portraits were complete, each one was mounted on a panel beside the patient's own work, creating an intriguing juxtaposition that showed off both artists' skills and visions.

Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University prepares students for leadership in the visual arts, design, art history, and art education; provides innovative, collaborative education that fosters intellectual growth and individual creativity; and promotes the ethical and civic responsibilities of artists and designers, locally and globally.


Get involved:

- Visit Kendall College of Art and Design's website.
- Donate to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.
- Volunteer at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.

Sources: Elena Tislerics, Chief Communications Officer, Ferris State University
Writer: Victoria Mullen, Do Good Editor

Images: Courtesy KCAD of Ferris State University