Kylanna Hardaway and her completed mural.

Author: Kylanna Hardaway | Major: Food Nutrition and Health

Kylanna Hardaway is an honors student in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences majoring in Food, Nutrition, and Health with a minor in Psychology. Beginning in the spring of 2021, Kylanna began developing her research with the assistance of Dr. Sabrina Trudo, an associate professor in the department of Human Environmental Sciences. After graduation, Kylanna plans to pursue a career in nutrition regulation and compliance.

My research, The Art of Nutrition, aims to improve the nutritional status of food insecure college students using visual art and design. Nationwide, a staggering number of college students face food insecurity, yet very few of these students utilize the food assistance resources available to them. At the University of Arkansas, many students report being unaware of the on-campus food pantry and hesitant of the negative stigma that may be associated with food pantry use. To address these perceived barriers, I have designed a custom mural that simultaneously provides signage for the food pantry, promotes a welcoming atmosphere, and celebrates good nutrition. Using survey methodology, I am comparing perceptions of the food pantry before and after the artwork’s installation to determine its efficacy.

Last spring, I began exploring research topics for my honors thesis. I knew I wanted to study the relationship between nutrition and psychology, but I was uncertain about where to begin. Around that same time, I signed up to volunteer at the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry on campus. It was during my time volunteering at the pantry that an idea for my research began to unfold.

You see, working at the food pantry made me realize two things: 1) If you didn’t know where the food pantry was, then you probably weren’t going to be able to find it without some help, and 2) Even if you did know where the food pantry was, then you probably thought it could use a facelift. As I began researching other college food pantries, a similar trend emerged. While food insecurity rates on college campuses were consistently high, actual food pantry usage was consistently low. College students across the country were reporting an unawareness of the existence of campus food pantries and a general reluctance to use them. Considering my own observations of the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry, I could see the need for better signage and improved curb appeal. Having come from an artistic background, I immediately began to wonder: What if I created a wall mural to represent the food pantry and boost its aesthetic? Would that help negate the perceived negative stigma associated with food assistance? There was only one way to find out.

The fall semester before, I had taken a class with Dr. Sabrina Trudo called “Nutrition Education and Counseling” where we discussed how to communicate nutrition to the public. If I was going to make a mural for the food pantry, I wanted it to be one that promoted nutrition and well-being to passersby. I reached out to Dr. Trudo about my idea, and under her mentorship, I began using the app Procreate to develop design concepts I could pitch to the food pantry. Soon enough, however, I learned that the food pantry was not the head hog I presumed them to be–there were going to be a lot more parties involved in making this mural a reality. Several months and numerous email chains later, my mural was approved by a conglomerate of University of Arkansas committees. Leadership at the food pantry assisted me in finalizing the design concept, and University Housing sanctioned the installation of a removable vinyl substrate on an exterior wall of the food pantry. With permissions in place, Dr. Trudo put me in touch with ROARK, a local printing company, and they agreed to print and install the vinyl mural.

In order to assess the mural’s effect on perception, I began developing a survey to administer before and after the mural’s installation. Dr. Betsy Garrison, an expert in survey methodology, assisted me in completing an IRB protocol and generating survey content. Although I expected this process to be clear-cut, I found that writing unbiased, non-leading survey questions was quite challenging. Thankfully, however, Dr. Trudo and Dr. Garrison were able to offer me some much-needed insight about survey development. Once the survey was ready to go, volunteers at the food pantry graciously helped me distribute it to their patrons via iPads provided by the Volunteer Action Center.

While the results of my research have yet to be determined, I feel confident that the mural I designed has had a positive impact on the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry. Sure, it might not outright solve food insecurity at the University of Arkansas, but at least it now can serve as a beacon for those needing food assistance. Going forward, I can only hope students who see my mural are drawn to it and the healthy lifestyle it represents.