Ruth Smith, graduate student in the Department of Art Education, has been selected as a 2012-13 Columbus-Athens Schweitzer Fellow. She is one of 16 graduate students from across Ohio who will spend the next year working with a local community-based organization to develop and implement yearlong, mentored service projects that improve the health and well-being of underserved people—all on top of their regular graduate school responsibilities.

Smith will employ fine art as a vehicle to raise awareness of the Somali community and build bridges between communities, working with the Somali Women & Children's Alliance (SWCA) and the Somali Cultural and Research Institute (SCRI) in Columbus, Ohio, an organization she has been involved with for several years.

Smith began volunteering for the SWCA’s Afterschool program in 2010, working alongside staff and volunteers to identify ways to integrate arts activities into homework. In 2011, she launched a summer arts camp to provide children the opportunity to learn about their culture, what community is all about, and, at the same time, discover the arts in an entirely new way.

“The project I will be doing for the Schweitzer Program is to work with local Somali artists to photograph and document the stories of the culture and experiences of the Somali community in Columbus in order to establish connections to both traditional Somali culture and to other communities in Columbus,” said Smith. “We hope to show the exhibit in community spaces and offer educational programs and family arts projects, to engage youth in exploring their community through art.”

Smith is currently planning the Somali Culture Festival which takes place on July 1, 2012.

The Columbus-Athens Schweitzer Fellows Program is hosted and sponsored by The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Other sponsors include Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation; Ohio Health; Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine; Trinity Lutheran Seminary; The Ohio State Office of Outreach & Engagement; and The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences, Dentistry, Nursing, Optometry, Pharmacy, Public Health, Social Work, and Veterinary Medicine

Upon completion of their initial year, the 2012-13 Columbus-Athens Schweitzer Fellows will become Schweitzer Fellows for Life—and join a network of over 2,500 Schweitzer alumni who are skilled in, and committed to, addressing the health needs of underserved people throughout their careers as professionals.