Two UI pharmacy students take on a global art project to advocate for palliative care.

By Madison Purvis
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During the last week of October, two UI College of Pharmacy students brought an opportunity for individuals to reflect on their lives through art.

Sophia Johnson and Morgan Jacks brought “Before I Die,” a global art wall project, to the College of Pharmacy.

Jacks said she got involved in this project through a suggestion from James Ray and Kashelle Lockman. Jacks and Johnson are part of a Palliative Care certificate program, which requires one to do different activities to initiate deeper learning. This project was one of the activities they did for advocacy.

After hearing about it, they looked up the project and found a website describing what was needed in order to put the wall together. The wall has spread around the world to more than 2,000 locations. It was originally created by artist Candy Chang, who put the first wall on an abandoned house in New Orleans.

Jacks said the project is normally put on buildings or big wooden structures. Theirs took the form of a 12-foot-long piece of paper that was on display on one of the walls in the Pharmacy Building.

When people visit the wall, they are invited to think about common anxieties, contemplate death, and think about goals and life. Jacks and Johnson said they understand that these things can be uncomfortable to think about, but its purpose is to help people share their thoughts more freely and to create a sense of internal honesty.

“It was interesting to see the different responses that got written on the wall,” Jacks said. While an exact number of how many people have visited the wall is not available, the two can estimate there are approximately 325 students who have classes in the building, in addition to the faculty. By the end of the week, almost all of the lines on the wall were filled up.

“I think people thought it was interesting to see hold outside of school or outside of the short term, which is what we do a lot of as college students,” Jacks said. “It was also interesting to read others’ responses and learn more about our classmates even if they might not know who wrote it.” Jacks said that some people commented about seeing these walls when they were on vacation, showing that people recognized the concept of the wall.

“I wasn’t quite sure what it was or what it had to do with pharmacy,” said UI pharmacy student Meagan Koepnick.

After she learned what the project was about, she noted it as “a good chance for us busy professional students to take a step back and just think about what is important to us.”

“The Before I Die Wall makes you think beyond your weekend plans or what you are doing for break,” UI pharmacy student Brittany Faley said. “The wall contained a wide variety of statements, from going to Italy to seeing their daughter grow into an independent woman.”

Johnson said she and Jacks were happy with the positive responses they received about the wall. “I really enjoyed reading the responses and seeing what my peers value,” Johnson said.