News

The spring 2022 issue of Ytori showcases how the liberal arts and sciences give us a better understanding of the mind-body connection. There’s ample evidence of this throughout the college community’s research, education, and service, and it made for fascinating stories that fill the magazine. But figuring out how to capture the concept on the cover — and bring together physical, mental, social and spiritual fulfillment in one image — required some brainstorming.

One of the articles in the issue offered a piece of inspiration. The cover story highlights peer-led initiatives that support student mental health, with a special focus on the UF chapter of Sources of Strength. Core to that organization’s mission are eight facets of life that underpin wellness. Sources of Strength presents these through a rainbow-colored wheel, emphasizing that all of them play equally important roles in a positive, healthy lifestyle.

The wheel’s message synced perfectly with the concept — but the ideal cover image would also need to nod to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as a platform for the ideas expressed throughout the issue. When the team scoured the campus for college landmarks, the Catherine A. and Mary E. Yardley Garden outside of Ustler Hall jumped out.

Ustler Hall itself has served as a hub for spiritual, physical and mental health for over 100 years. The building has been home to a dance hall, chapel, movie theater, gymnasium — and now, modernized learning spaces. The adjacent garden today offers a popular spot for meet-ups with friends, study breaks, and class discussions. What’s more, the garden’s iconic sundial is surrounded by a circular hardscape pattern — which, like the Sources of Strength wheel, could join separate pursuits into a unified whole.

To present the geometric masonry in all its glory, we needed a birds-eye view. Samantha Bailon, CLAS editorial assistant, offered that the College of Journalism and Communications had a drone journalism class — Richard Shaw, the course’s instructor, agreed to help us bring our vision to life. Michel Thomas, CLAS photographer, was also behind the lens, taking alternate angles, one of which appears on the magazine’s back cover. (You can find more examples of Thomas’ stellar work throughout the magazine.)

Aimee Clesi and Karina Sarandrea, CLAS students — in Sarandrea’s case, now a recent alumna — who are featured in the magazine, agreed to appear in the photoshoot. (Special thanks to these two, who posed for hours under an afternoon Florida sun.) CLAS staffers stepped up to meet the other modeling needs.

Kathleen Martin, CLAS graphic designer and Ytori art director, and Andrew Doerfler, CLAS editor of News & Publications and Ytori editor-in-chief, guided the shoot, with help from Amey Owen, CLAS creative production manager, and Lauren Barnett, CLAS writer.

The use of drone technology helped us see the space from a brand-new angle — a fitting creative process that echoes the college’s approach to learning and discovery. Together, the group crafted an image that represents how disparate facets of life join together through the college’s mission for a stronger, richer whole.

Read more from the spring 2022 issue of Ytori.