My name is Elle Smith, and my Senior Venture is a visual arts and anatomy-based project. I selected this project because in 2019 around Thanksgiving, my grandfather took a bad fall. Despite him living in Cartersville, they took him to Floyd Medical Center for care which was very close to where I live. He spent a long time in the hospital so my family and I would visit him quite frequently. When visiting, my grandmother and I tried our best to get him out of the room because hospital rooms can be depressing and boring. We would take him outside for a breath of fresh air and then back inside to look at the art gallery downstairs. During this situation, we all realized that little things can be the most important in making a big change in thought and attitude. The art gallery gave us all some distraction and peace.
I plan to work over the year to do a series of paintings that are uniform in idea and size that can be displayed in the Floyd Medical Center. My goal is to complete five paintings. I would like to share my project by presenting pictures of the paintings and myself in Floyd and explaining the research that went behind the anatomy of the paintings. Currently, I am working on a painting that represents heart disease. I am painting the heart first, and then I will draw and paint items that will inspire people around the heart. I will also complete a painting about Alzheimers. I will paint a brain and in the places that the brain deteriorates first, because of this disease, I will put flowers. For ALS, I want to paint a nervous system with butterflies all around it. My first step will be to paint the anatomy part of the first and then add items people think are conventionally beautiful and comforting.
My plan is to donate these paintings to Floyd Medical Center to give relief and comfort to those that were in the same situation as my family and I. I plan to not only impact the Rome community with my art but also the Darlington community by working with younger art students in Thatcher Hall and using their ideas to incorporate in my paintings. I want to help teach them about science and art as well to further their perspective on health issues that may impact their family or friends as well.
My mentor for the science and anatomy aspect of the project is Mrs. Toni King, and my art mentors are Mrs. Kathy O'Mara and Mrs. Christina Kopp.
The Senior Ventures leadership program is a year-long senior project built on a framework of leadership, innovation, and community engagement. The topic and the project design are chosen by an individual student or a pair of students, and the journey is guided by Darlington faculty as well as mentors in the community. Most projects fall into one of the following categories: Investigation, Performance, Entrepreneurship, and Outreach. Candidates are selected according to proposal quality, feasibility, and commitment.
