Evolution of Medicine to be Artfully Depicted in Davis Street Building

Pharmacy students Dylan Atkins, left, and Kyle Gildow working on “The Evolution of Medicine” mural for the College of Pharmacy.

The challenge: create a College of Pharmacy mural in a really long, narrow hallway. Dylan Atkins, an exceptionally artistic P5 pharmacy student, was honored to have been asked, but admitted he initially perceived the project as daunting.
“I was nervous. I know it’s going to be on the wall for a while,” Atkins said. His typical go-to projects have involved colored pencil drawings and smaller paper-engineered pieces.
The interior cinderblock wall includes no windows or doors, but the narrowness of the space makes it impossible to view the entire mural while standing in one place.
“The first thing that popped into my head was a timeline, because of the long wall,” Atkins said. A portion of the wall is in the original part of the Davis Street Building, while the remainder extends into the newer addition built in 2012.
After studying a history of pharmacy book on loan from College of Pharmacy Dean Debra Parker, Pharm.D., he grabbed his friend and fellow classmate, Kyle Gildow, and commenced to sketching a design in December 2016. The pair, with some help from family and friends, has been concertedly working on the mural since then, including during winter and spring breaks.
When finished this spring semester, the work, titled “The Evolution of Medicine,” will incorporate images ranging from plants to pills. The story will begin on the wall’s east end, by the smaller lobby near the College of Pharmacy’s offices. A rainforest will represent plants and fungi used to treat ailments in antiquity. There will be a panel representing Ancient Greece, with the Goddess of Health, Hygeia, and hieroglyphics that will spell out “University of Findlay College of Pharmacy.” Eras such as those that focused on alchemy, tablet-making and cellular mutations will be featured. The west side of the wall will end with an abstract collage of colors representing the continuing evolution of the field.
Punctuating the panels will be cases containing additional interesting information in pictorial and textual forms. Additionally, hidden throughout the entire mural will be the Rx symbol for pharmacy.
Amidst schooling and other interests, Atkins and Gildow said the project has been quite labor intensive, but they’re pleased with the way it has developed.
“It’s been really fun,” said Atkins. I’m super excited to finish it. We want people to see it. I’m so happy they asked me to do this.”
A public mural unveiling is scheduled for Friday, March 17 at 10 a.m.