"We love the idea that the winning design was created by a student, for students, to memorialize the incredible vision, talent and commitment of our School of Medicine faculty – then and now."
The landscaped garden and art installation, Los Corazones de Nuevo Mexico Faculty Memorial Garden, was commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine’s first medical student class of 1964.
The memorial, which is located in the Canyon Garden, in the lower-level plaza of the Domenici Center for Health Sciences Education, was dedicated in the Spring of 2019.
The Memorial honors our faculty, now deceased, and their dedication to excellence in teaching, discovery and patient care.
Designed by Ms. Christine Williams, a 2012 graduate of the UNM School of Architecture and Planning, in association with a design team from Garrett Smith, Ltd, Los Corazones de Nuevo Mexico celebrates the School of Medicine’s educational family.
Stainless steel tubes arranged throughout a serpentine bench evocate heartbeat, which repose within a landscaped garden inviting interaction. Ms. Williams hit on the idea of using rods to visually represent a heartbeat on an EKG. The Memorial’s tubes are dedicated to deceased colleagues with their names engraved through out the installation. Together the rods convey a heartbeat imagery - “The Heart of New Mexico.”
Dr. Jeffrey Griffith, the medical school’s emeritus executive vice dean, developed the idea of a statewide competition for the memorial design, which was was sponsored by the UNM School of Medicine and organized by the UNM School of Architecture and Planning. A jury of professionals was comprised of UNM and community members, and chaired by Roger Schluntz, former dean of the School of Architecture and Planning. Ms. Williams' design was selected from about 25 submissions. A total of $17,000 in prize money was awarded.
Griffith says, "We love the idea that the winning design was created by a student, for students, to memorialize the incredible vision, talent and commitment of our School of Medicine faculty – then and now."
In addition to the engraved memorial, the contributions of deceased faculty are recognized through a complementary web-based memorial containing departmental affiliations, historical information, photographs, personal recollections and professional details.
Sponsored by the UNM School of Medicine, the statewide competition to design the memorial was organized by the UNM School of Architecture and Planning, and took place over four months. A total of $17,000 in prize money was awarded. Eligible competitors included members of the AIA/NM Young Architects Forum, currently enrolled graduate students at the UNM School of Architecture and Planning and emerging professionals in architecture and landscape architecture in New Mexico.
The competition jury was selected from UNM and the community and chaired by Roger Schluntz, former Dean of the UNM School of Architecture.
Christine Williams won the competition with her design proposal entitled "The People’s Heartbeat," which was developed in association with a design team from Garrett Smith, Ltd.
Other finalists for the competition were Javan Chapple, in association with The Design Group of NM, and Ben Ortega, in association with SMPC Architects. Also formally recognized for their design submissions and receiving Citation Awards were Meredith Ellis and Andrew Bernard.