Student Artists’ Work Graces Hospital

MILWAUKEE –Thirty-two creations by 22 teenaged artists will be brightening the lives of patients, visitors and staff at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee for the next six months. The MKE Youth Artscape exhibit showcases original artwork created by artists aged 13-18 in the Garden Cafe cafeteria of the eastside hospital beginning today.

A total of 32 works of art are on display through programs of TBEY Arts Center. TBEY is a 26-year-old nonprofit arts program whose mission is to strengthen young people through exposure to the arts, providing them with opportunities for creative expression.

Ten teenage artists aged 13-18 submitted creations for the exhibit, comprising three paintings,

16 drawings and one mixed media work. The artists are students at Andrew Douglas Middle School, Bay View Montessori, Carson Academy of Science, MacDowell Montessori, North Division High School, Portage High School, and Rufus King High School.

An additional dozen drawings created by 12 teens in a TBEY art class last fall also are on display.

“It is Ascension’s mission to care for all, with special focus on those most vulnerable,” said Andre Storey, FACHE, President, Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital. “We are proud to support the work TBEY is doing in our community. Art can provide a healing effect to life, and we hope this exhibit brightens the day for our visitors, patients and associates.”

“Creating art provides young people opportunities to closely observe the world, think critically and express themselves without using words. Visual arts build problem-solving skills, self-confidence, reliance, cultural awareness and empathy,” said Contessa Cole, founder and CEO of TBEY. “The arts are a powerful outlet for self-expression and identity during the formative years. Providing young artists a space to exhibit their work further amplifies these benefits.”

Cole said she hopes to expand this program so that student artists can exhibit their work at more sites around Milwaukee in the future. This is the second public art exhibition for TBEY’s young artists. Student artwork was displayed at the Marcus Performing Arts Center last year.

About TBEY: 

TBEY is a 26-year-old nonprofit arts program begun by Contessa Cole when she was a 16-year-old high school student. Seeing how cuts to arts programs within the Milwaukee Public Schools would mean students from underserved communities would be denied opportunities to explore their creativity, “Tessa’s Black Entertainment & Youth Center” (TBEY) was born.

TBEY’s mission is to strengthen young people through exposure to the arts, providing them with opportunities for creative expression. To date, TBEY has empowered more than 20,000 youth, 76% of whom identify as African American, and 99% of whom come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. These young people represent our future, and TBEY provides them with the tools and opportunities they need to thrive, both in the arts and in life. Learn more at https://tbey.org.

About Ascension Wisconsin:

In Wisconsin, Ascension delivers care through 16 hospitals, 12 of which are wholly owned, and four that are jointly operated, and more than 100 related healthcare sites, with more than three million patient visits each year. Ascension Wisconsin is a non-profit and Catholic health system with a Mission of delivering compassionate, personalized care to all with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension sites of care in Wisconsin have been serving patients and their communities since 1848. More than 12,000 employed associates serve communities in Southeastern Wisconsin and the Fox Valley region. In FY25, Ascension Wisconsin provided more than $218 million in community benefit. Visit healthcare.ascension.org/wisconsin.