Multiple local artists contributed artwork to the Johansen Student Center. One extraordinary piece, Empower, honors Trustee Emeritus Fran Kinne, a trailblazer in the field of education. It also pays homage to the women philanthropists who made significant gifts to the Johansen Student Center renovation project.
Empower is a three-dimensional, visual artwork that hangs in the entranceway of the Johansen Student Center. Referred to as an agamograph, the piece uses optimal illusion and motion to change depending on the angle from which it is viewed. From one corner of the room the message reads Empower and from the opposite corner it reads Empowered.
The piece celebrates the way in which empowered women become catalysts for change, inspiring and empowering other women to rise alongside them, creating a powerful ripple effect.
A plaque sits adjacent to the artwork recognizing more than 20 women who gave to the project. Empower has become a symbol of community and strength within Drake’s newly renovated student center, capturing the spirit of the space perfectly—collaborative, welcoming, and rooted in community.
