J. Kenneth Leap
There is Art to Medicine, 2008
Enameled glass and LED
3' x 14'

The title of the enameled glass wall piece in the lobby of the Medical Sciences building at Dixie State College is: “There is Art to Medicine”. The panel is 14’ W x 3’ H and was installed on April 25, 2008. It was fabricated by the artist at the Derix Glasstudio in Germany.

The composition unfolds from right to left. In the background is a face of a young woman in the dark. Aligned with her eye is the image of a classical drawing of a bust of Aristotle to symbolize the educational path. Three lines begin here and meander through the composition along a horizontal blue band that spans the panels. The three lines represent a student’s journey through the educational tract; each is slightly different.

The journey begins with a key that is lit by the lamp of knowledge. Along the way various diagrams from medical texts are encountered.  These were developed through a series of dialogues between the artist and the faculty. Toward the middle of the composition these images are more densely packed, indicating the complexity of learning required. The student has to go deep into the material, symbolized by the large spiral. At this point a large anatomical drawing is encountered. This human figure is turned inward, toward the face of the young woman. There is a visual connection between these two figures as the pathway unites them. The anatomical figure represents the universal patient, which the student will someday encounter.

At randomly spaced intervals there are small horizontal bands of light indicating acceleration and forward momentum. Beyond the large figure the pathway leads to a place of calm. There is a single transcendent moment illustrated by an image of a hand of a young child being held by and elderly person. This is a symbol of compassion and represents the service of the caregiver toward patients at all stages of life.

Her studies complete, empathy for the patient achieved, the student receives her certification depicted by the seal of Dixie College. Encircled by a stylized sun, the image makes reference to the Dixie College slogan “The Best Education under the Sun”. Beneath this image is a quotation suggested in a dialogue which developed between the artist and the faculty:

EXCELLENCE IS NEVER AN ACCIDENT; IT IS THE RESULT OF HIGH INTENTION,
SINCERE EFFORT, INTELLIGENT DIRECTION, SKILLFUL EXECUTION
AND THE VISION TO SEE OBSTACLES AS OPPORTUNITIES.
- UNKNOWN

Beyond this, the three pathways turn upward and transform into the image of a white dove, a universal symbol of the spirit, peace and freedom. The dove is poised in flight, turned in the direction of a large window in the adjoining wall, symbolically leading out to the world.

A stylized red rock cliff references the local landscape. Ultimately, in the background are large fluid forms, which symbolize healing water, an element essential to life and precious in the desert.

Text and photograph courtesy the artist