Art Students Create Wig Stands to Support Cancer Patients

A recent collaboration between Art, Design, and Visual Communications students in Kiersten Miller’s class at BTC and BeeJay Ferucci, a breast cancer survivor and the at-large director of the North Fork Breast Health Coalition, is an example of how creativity can support life-changing experiences. During the school’s “Think Pink” event in October, the students designed over 40 custom wig stands to be donated to cancer patients at the North Fork Breast Health Coalition. This initiative provided students an opportunity to apply their knowledge of color theory and color psychology in a real-world community project.

Color theory teaches how different colors can evoke specific emotional responses, and the students used this knowledge to create wig stands that could brighten the daily experience of cancer patients. By selecting calming or energizing colors, they crafted pieces that were both visually appealing and supportive. “For patients, the act of removing a wig at the end of the day can be a reminder of their physical and emotional challenges, so we aimed to turn this ritual into a moment of empowerment and positivity,” said Miller.

Through this project, students not only honed their technical design skills but also learned how design can impact somebody's well-being, highlighting the social responsibility that designers have in creating work that supports and uplifts people in meaningful ways.