BUCYRUS—A handful of students and staff from Galion high school traveled to Bucyrus in late June to design a mural for patients and their families at Altercare Bucyrus.
The mural, painted in Speret Hall, was finished in early July and features several nods to Alzheimer’s, which many patients at Altercare live with.
“We painted elephants to represent memory because they’re known for their great memory, and with Alzheimer’s, you’ve lost yours.
We wanted to include a couple of them because [with Alzheimer’s] you don’t always rely on one person to remember things that you can’t,” said Haylie Bowlby, the art teacher at Galion high school.
Students who worked on the mural hoped it would bring visitors and patients together in a place they wouldn’t normally spend time.
Bowlby said, “The art brings life to areas that have been left out. This space may not have been an area where people feel like they need to be and now it can bring the community in. I’m sure they have visitors, but I think they’ll have more visitors because it feels welcoming.”
One family member, whose mother is a resident at Altercare, feels that the mural is going to help make the space more enjoyable.
She said, “I am so excited for this wall, it’s such a big difference from what they had before. I bring Mom in here a lot and before there wasn’t much to look at. I think the residents will love it.”
Senior Ava Ball, among a few other students, started the mural with Bowlby as a class project through ties to the Altercare staff.
“Bucyrus was our first connection. Altercare was planning on doing something like this and they thought it would be a really good opportunity for us,” said Bowlby.
Designing and completing the mural proved to be a great learning experience for the students involved. Students such as senior Ava Ball were able to learn various techniques that would continue to serve them in the future.
“I plan on going to college for being an art teacher at Bowling Green. I’ve never used a projector in my art [before painting the mural],” said Ball.