
The Counseling and Health center has partnered with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Art Department to put together a participatory art installation in support of the Ukrainian community.
The installation consists of an arrangement of blue and yellow paper sunflowers that form a large Ukrainian flag in the vestibule of Gaiser Hall. The first part of the flag is up, but more sunflowers and other materials are available near the exhibit or people to contribute through the end of June.
Faculty counselors Beth VanBuecken and Valentina Pishchanskaya-Cayanan came up with the idea by collaborating with Art Department faculty. The project is especially meaningful to Pishchanskaya-Cayanan, who is Ukrainian.
“We decided to do something that represents Ukraine, and it had to be something simple that others could participate in,” said Pischanskaya-Cayanan. “For me it was really nice to see, because I am Ukrainian, that other people notice and are showing their support and keeping their attention on it, it’s not just fading away because the initial shock is gone.”