Sarah Rogriguez, an academic advisor for the School of the Arts (SOTA), recently collaborated with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to create artwork. Her paper collages, made alongside patients and nurses, will be on display in the hospital starting in 2026. 

“What I really liked about the project…were thinking about how art can be healing, and that some of these people are going through the hardest part of their lives,” Rodriguez said. “The idea that my art could help in any kind of way is just really powerful and meaningful.”

Kolar Design, a local design firm, hired Rodriguez for her second project with Cincinnati Children’s. The most recent commission, themed “Under the Surface,” prompted Rodriguez to create collages centered on water. 

“So thinking about procedures that are under the surface, and how this is kind of a calming way of thinking through something [patients] might be undergoing later,” Rodriguez said. 

The five artworks are a series of cool blues and purples colliding together to create aquatic scenes. Reminiscent of children’s book illustrations, a heron stands backlit by the setting sun. In others, otters twirl underwater and rainbow trout swim through seaweed. All are meant to be soothing images for children and staff. 

Rodriguez first created the compositions, then brought painted paper to the hospital for staff to help clip out. The pebbles, seen in several pieces, were cut during the nurses’ lunch breaks. As they crafted, Rodriguez had the opportunity to talk to them. For her, this is another way to use art as a means of healing.

“A big part of making art together is forming connection,” Rodriguez said. “When they go into work and they see those, they can be like, ‘Oh, yeah, I helped do that.’ Their jobs are really hard, so hopefully that brings them some joy.”