Visual arts students at the University of North Georgia (UNG) are making an impact in the Gainesville community with their artistic contributions to the nonprofit Adult Children of Aging Parents (ACAP).
The students have created powerful artwork to promote the nonprofit’s mission at bus stops throughout the city, helping raise awareness for caregivers.
The project was sponsored by UNG’s Institute for Healthy Aging and Legacy Link Inc., which supports the Hall County chapter of ACAP. It provided students with a unique opportunity to learn about the organization and develop creative ways to promote the services it provides to caregivers.
In a strategic approach, students from UNG’s graphic design and photography courses were organized into three teams, each led by a designated design lead and photography lead. These leaders played key roles in managing deadlines, tracking progress, and ensuring effective communication among team members. Faculty members Tiffany Prater and Christopher Dant from the Department of Visual Arts mentored the students throughout the project.
“It’s a good way to get our photo and design students to collaborate together,” Prater said. “It’s really rare for them to be taking on this type of opportunity.”
Taylor Brown, a senior graphic design major from Buford appreciated the chance to learn more about caregiving and ACAP’s mission.
“It was so interesting to learn not only what they do, but also their own personal experiences with caregiving,” Brown said. “I have a deep appreciation and gratitude for the efforts and work they put in their own personal lives.”
Gracie Beem, a senior graphic design student from Jefferson noted how the project required students to work together to create a cohesive message.
“If you look at our photos, there’s a lot of nature and peaceful elements that feel comforting to someone who might be a caregiver or is in need of caregiving,” Beem said.
Dr. Pamela Elfenbein, director of the Institute for Healthy Aging, praised the students for their dedication and the meaningful results they produced.
“Our students’ engagement with our community stakeholders for this project was significant because it gave our students the opportunity to hear from our strategic planning team what they wanted to represent with the final project, actively use and synthesize their classroom and studio learning, apply these to a new situation, and create something unique and personal,” Elfenbein said. “Students were also afforded the opportunity to collaborate with peers and faculty from different departments, build teamwork skills, discuss together their understanding of the needs of the community the project was meant to represent, and create artwork that is relevant and meaningful to real-life situations.”
Frances Hall, ACAP founder and executive director, was impressed by the students’ work during the January reception.
“I am absolutely amazed and immensely impressed by what the students have done. When I first walked into the gallery and saw the posters, the visuals were striking. When I looked closer and read the text on each of them, I couldn’t help but be humbled by all that went into the effort,” Hall said. “The posters are stunning works of art and represent the highest professional quality. They truly capture the heart of caregiving and the spirit of ACAP. This is the first time an ACAP chapter has collaborated with a university to develop anything like this. Seeing what the UNG students created, I am certain it will not be the last.”
