New art installations beautify UCLA Fielding’s first floor, celebrating public health and the school

If you haven’t visited the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health’s first-floor corridor lately, a vastly different environment awaits.

Along the wall in the lobby area across from the school’s main elevators, a vibrant three-dimensional mural displays some of the myriad ways in which public health builds a healthier future for all. Interwoven are illustrative depictions of the field’s — and the school’s — impact. On the sides of vertical panels that jut out from the art piece, words that express some of the school’s values are featured, greeting passersby with different terms depending on the direction from which they approach. Farther down the main corridor’s hallway, on the wall just outside the UCLA Fielding Community Space, a companion piece highlights ways in which the school strives to fulfill its mission through teaching, research, and engagement with communities and policymakers.

“Our goal was to showcase some of the many stories of public health to visitors, as well as communicating aspects of the vitally important contributions of our FSPH community,” says Dr. Ron Brookmeyer, UCLA Fielding dean, who commissioned the murals on behalf of the school. “And at the same time, we wanted to beautify the space, hopefully make people smile, and give our students, faculty, staff, and alums something about which they can be deservedly proud. My hope is that anyone walking by will stop, reflect, and feel good about the work of our school.”

The art installations, produced by RSM Design in consultation with Brookmeyer and UCLA Fielding Associate Dean for Marketing and Communications Carla Denly, represent the final piece of a multi-phased initiative to transform the school’s first-floor corridor into a welcoming and student-centric environment. Since becoming the school’s dean, Brookmeyer has moved FSPH’s admissions and student services from windowless spaces on the building’s basement level to the first floor, and renovated the career services offices. In 2022, the Public Health Community Space debuted as a casual, centrally located gathering spot for students and faculty. The school also installed new digital screens in the lobby that feature a directory and floorplans.

The new mural across from the school’s elevators, made from sustainable materials, measures 5½ feet high and nearly 13 feet wide, and includes two padded benches underneath it. Through painted aluminum illustrations across a series of wood and aluminum backlit panels, the mural tells the story of the wide-ranging issues and initiatives that public health and UCLA Fielding tackle, including climate change, vaccines, inequities, nutrition, the healthcare system, data science, tobacco, water quality, car safety, and many more. Adopting a style and color palette consistent with FSPH’s magazine covers, the mural displays scenes of healthy eating, green spaces, and diverse groups working together. LED lights illuminate words capturing some of the school’s values and priorities: wellness, diversity, advocacy, innovation, and collaboration along the sides of the three-dimensional panels visible when approaching from the north; community, impact, prevention, evidence, equity, and inclusion along the sides visible when approaching from the south. The mural’s final scene is an illustration of the school’s annual Commencement ceremony at UCLA’s Royce Hall, which celebrates graduating students poised to advance the health of communities locally and around the world.

“We were proud to help fulfill the school’s vision of creating something artful and beautiful that shows many of the layers of public health in a way that tells a larger story,” says Cody Clark, principal in charge of the project and a partner with RSM Design, a branded environments design company headquartered in San Clemente, California, with offices in Los Angeles and Dallas.

“Our UCLA Fielding community consists of people who are driven to make the world a healthier and more equitable place, and these art installations celebrate that progress in a joyful way,” Denly says. “This artwork is something for our community, reflective of its strong values and incredible achievements, and designed to inspire both the people who work here and everyone who visits.”