If you’re already nervous about going to the dentist, walking into a clinic with sterile white walls “just heightens the fear,” says Nancy Marks, community service coordinator at the Tisch School of Civic Life at Tufts University School of Dentistry.
Over the years, Marks has addressed that fear by installing hundreds of works of art in Tufts dental clinics. Now, a new collaboration between the School of Dentistry, Tufts Arts and Sciences, the Tisch School, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is bringing original paintings by Tufts art students to one of the clinics, where patients are paying attention.
The nine artworks were installed last December on the ceiling just above the second-floor surgery chairs at the Atlantic Clinic. One of the goals, Marks says, is to give nervous patients something to do during treatment.
But she also sees it as a way to build trust between doctors and patients. A dental student told Marks that a patient commented on a painting by artist DBCO, AG26 (MFA) of a lake surrounded by mountains covered in flowers, and that the painting got them both talking about fishing.
“Art can be a way to start a conversation that doesn’t necessarily have to be about the art itself,” Max said, “but to be in someone’s life in another way.”
One of dental student Wendy Mauti’s (D25) patients noticed the artwork right away and told her that the paintings added “life” and “positive energy” to the space, making it “more than just a place to hear the drill and smell the dental stuff.”
“He has an eye for art,” she said, “so he loved it.”
SMFA’s Master of Fine Arts students volunteered to create the paintings, each of which had to fit within a rectangular ceiling space.
“We went through a professional process where they submitted proposals with sketches and designs, and then they reviewed them with the help of two dental students,” said Lisa Fiore, assistant dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. This gave the art students an experience similar to participating in a juried exhibition or commissioned work.
SMFA Associate Director of Graduate Programs Kenson Truong appreciated the opportunity to introduce art students to career opportunities related to dentistry and medicine, such as helping patients through art therapy or creating work for hospitals and other healthcare facilities. There are many ways to be an artist, he said, “not just in galleries.”
Recently, some art students visited the School of Dentistry to view their artwork and meet some dental students and faculty. Darla Rogers, assistant dean for clinical affairs, thanked them for their hard work and noted that art is a vital tool for dentists, whether used to distract, soothe or attract attention.
She said patients in her private practice always rave about the flora and fauna she has hanging in her operating room and always notice if a piece is missing. “The artwork is really, really important to them,” she said.
Artist MiJung Yun (AG25, MFA) is familiar with Tufts Dental because she has taken her 11-year-old daughter, Olivia, there many times for pediatric and orthodontic treatments.
She chose to paint the emerald green leaves, inspired by a plant in her studio that comforts her every day. “I hope people feel the same way when they look at her painting,” she says, perhaps evoking the peaceful, calming feeling of being in a forest.
Artist Yulia Niu, AG25 (MFA), was drawn to the project’s focus on community, which was one of the topics of her master’s thesis. Her painting, a vibrant mushroom forest, offers a dreamlike escape for patients during treatment. “This dreamlike mushroom forest can act as a portal,” Niu says.
“I hope it captures the patient’s attention and draws them into a world of color and light that eases their anxiety.” Knowing that her work will live on in the clinic for a long time makes the project meaningful. “It gives me great comfort to think that my paintings can bring comfort to patients for years to come.”
Related topics:
