Pioneer artist-in-residence makes a large polar-bear-shaped mark at vet college

There are no windows in the Polar Bear Lounge at the Atlantic Veterinary College, but it's far from dull. That's because the student lounge has a new mural, created by the school's fist-ever artist-in-residence, Christopher Griffin.

The mural is Griffin's first piece at the AVC as part of the residency program, which began in November. 

One of the goals of the program is to enrich community spaces at the college, said Dominique Griffon, the Charlottetown-based college's dean. 

"I was interested in finding ways to boost the morale in our college, and I find art and being surrounded by beautiful things has an impact on mental health," she said. 

"There is quite a bit of science around building buildings for people — that's sort of a new field in architecture that unfortunately is not something that we can readily do here in an existing 40-year-old building. So it's finding ways to make a connection with nature.

"Short of natural lights and trees and plants, murals and arts can sort of replace this, or at least palliate this," she said. 

Fostering well-being

In the Polar Bear Lounge, the lack of windows means there's no natural light. 

"Being able to bring something different to sort of lighten up the mood is helpful," Griffon said. "It's also a way for students and faculty and staff to escape their daily routine.

"People get very wrapped up in the very intense work that they do," she added. "I'm hoping it's going to help them maybe get over a hump in the road and realize that it's not the end of the world; there's still beautiful things happening around us." 

Griffin's work is already having an impact, said Tsukasa Iwamoto, a third-year student at the college. 

"I would say — a very veterinary word to use — it's very enriching," she said. "We use that term a lot for… animal welfare. So it feels right to use it for our human and student welfare, as well."

I find myself trying to peek at his canvas every day and just see what he has in store, because every day there's just something new that he's making.— Tsukasa Iwamoto

Iwamoto said the institution can feel a bit isolated sometimes. 

"It's a medicine profession and we're on an island and we're separate from the rest of the campus, so seeing someone off-campus come in and contribute their views and perspectives with their artwork is really nice." 

Community connection 

When it comes to what inspires his art, Griffin said there are "all sorts of things — everything from graffiti to stains on the sidewalk to my travels."

He added: "I really enjoy animals and… bringing all these different experiences together. If I can do something to liven up the day a little bit, that's fantastic."

The college's dean said she "found a really deep connection between his work and the relevance of our college.

"Students, staff, faculty love it," Griffon said. "It's adding a point of conversation." 

While the program is still in its early days, the dean said she would like it to be permanent. 

"I would see this environment being welcoming to local artists who are engaging in the type of work that is relevant to veterinary medicine," she said. 

Griffin's residency is set to last until April 2025, but "he's welcome to stay as long as he'd like," said the dean. 

For the time being, students like Iwamoto are enjoying getting to watch Griffin's creative process unfold.

"I find myself trying to peek at his canvas every day and just see what he has in store, because every day there's just something new that he's making," she said. 

"I find myself kind of looking forward to it, so I'll be sad when he leaves."