Love Never Fails: Healing Through Art

Graduating senior and political science major Aurelia Mandani wanted to use artwork to honor the victims and families directly affected by the tragic events of June 5 on the Seattle Pacific University campus.

Together with Professor of Art-Visual Communication Karen Gutowsky-Zimmerman,  Vocational Discernment Counselor Carla Orlando from Center for Career and Calling, and others from the Art Department, Mandani invited students, faculty, and staff to contribute to art books that would “serve as a simple reminder that God is with us every step of the way to love us and care for us,” she says. Within days, five books were created and delivered.

Cover Illustration By Kyle Gough

Although each art book was unique, they all included a cover created by Kyle Gough, a multi-skilled tradesman II in SPU’s Office of Facility and Project Management.

Lo How a Rose er Blooming

“I know that art brings healing, and I wanted to spread love and compassion to the victims in the only way that I knew I could,” says Mandani. “I noticed that people were making drawings and taking pictures in response to the incident to express their love for the SPU community, so I thought, why not create an art book for all of those who were directly impacted from this incident? This is where the idea started.”

Binding The Book

Within a week, the five unique art books created in this “Love Never Fails” collaborative project were delivered to the families of Paul Lee, Sarah Williams, Thomas Fowler, Jon Meis, and Aaron Ybarra.