For its second exhibit of the academic year, the Seton Art Gallery in Dodds brought in an artist to work with a group of UNH students and lead a charette, which is a period of collaboration between artists seeking to solve a design problem. Innovation Incubator: Deployable Healthcare Platform is an exhibit that examined the system of health care currently in place in Ghana and possible options for implementing affordable, adaptable, and sustainable improvements. Kevin Lair, assistant professor at the Indiana University Center for Art and Design, served as the visiting artist, while UNH Interior Design Lecturer Jamie Lynn Slenker was the charette coordinator.
Lair’s area as a professor integrates architecture, art, and entrepreneurship; he was awarded the Chancellor’s Leadership Award to develop collaborations between academic and community partners. He is the founder of MOD-ECO Design LLC and currently develops health care and manufacturing projects, design research, and entrepreneurial ventures. Lair has earned degrees in Fine Arts and Psychology from Drake University as well as a Masters in Architecture from Harvard University.
The 27 UNH students that participated in and contributed to the exhibit are Matt Altonji, Emily Boelsems, Tonya Choktrakunchai, Nancy Coleman, Emily Deane, Aubrey Duncan, Lindsey Giovan, Sharrieff Hall, Marissa Heglin, Alexis Kellogg, Michelle Kennedy, Jamie Lecce, Katherine Madden, Sarah Magnone, Erica Marano, Ryan Marcos, Greg May, Mellissa Mclaughlin, Katelyn Moore, Siddhi Mulaokar, Gisselle Murillo, Caleigh Ricker, Danielle Russo, Adam Sipperly, Sarah Taylor, Lucas Wihlborg, and Jim Williamson. Among these, thirteen of the students are Slenker’s Interior Design seniors, seven are students in Dr. Amy Thompson’s Global Solutions for Sustainability (EAS300) engineering course, and seven are graphic design students: five of whom were contributing artists and two who photographed the exhibit.
The Deployable Health Care Platform (DHCP) is a project by Lair which led to several other projects, including Innovation Incubator. The idea of the project was to research and design health care initiatives that could effectively be implemented in developing countries such as Ghana. The charettes that the students contributed to the exhibit include SAMEE (Sustaining All Means of Environmental Energy), Mobile Community for Health Education, Health Directory Platform, Pathfinder: Riding Towards a Healthier Tomorrow, and Market X-Change. Lair added photos from Ghana as well as pieces displaying statistics that include a comparison of morbidity rates between first and third-world countries.
A reception to mark the opening of the exhibit was held on Thursday, October 20 from 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. at the Seton Art Gallery. The exhibit will remain open until Friday, November 4, and the Seton Art Gallery will be open Tuesday through Thursday 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. as well as Fridays and Saturdays 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. During those hours, anyone can come in and view Lair’s works as well as the works of the many student participants. Interior and Graphic Design, Engineering, and many other types of students may benefit from what the exhibit has to offer.
