Team member connects with residents through one-of-a-kind artwork

If you've visited Brio of Johnston and noticed one-of-a-kind artwork on the community's giant chalk boards or an original and elaborate display in a campus hallway, chances are it's the handiwork of Grace Clausen.

And chances are people are talking about it.

"I like to create things that are original and that people need to think about," Grace, a member of the community's culinary team, says. "Of course, sometimes I also just do basic things like menus! I'll draw whatever they need me to."

Because she is Brio's go-to artist, it turns out the community needs Grace to draw, well, a lot. In addition to populating menu boards in Brio's restaurants (one of which is shown at right), Grace lends her talents to a several-foot-high welcome board in the community's foyer, shown below.

She updates the board at least once a month, with the subject of the artwork coming from any number of sources.

"Often, the subjects just come from my mind!" Grace says with a laugh. "My favorite thing is to draw things that are truly funny to me, and to hope other people think they're funny as well."

Grace's artistic talent became evident in childhood; she says she fell in love with artwork, especially art relating to video games and anime, then became "obsessed" with different art styles. She took any art class offered to her while a student at Johnston High School; later, at the University of Northern Iowa, she majored in art education.

She enjoys the mechanics of putting pen or brush to paper; she enjoys even more the connections art allows her to explore.

Art as storytelling

"I love to use art to tell stories and evoke emotion out of whatever I'm creating," Grace says. "For some people, a 'successful' life may be about doing well in a career. For me, it's about how many people I can impact in a day or a week or a month through my art. For instance, a woman told me she had never seen herself as beautiful until I drew her. That meant a lot to me."

Because she has known many of Brio's residents since the community opened in 2018, Grace is personally acquainted with their tastes and sometimes incorporates those into her work. 

"For instance, I collected valentines from vintage shops to create an aesthetic from the '50s, '60s, and '70s that might be familiar to people here," she says. "I love bringing back powerful memories that make people feel emotional. That's the creative power of art."

Grace hopes to one day have her own gallery space and create murals for businesses; for now, she is happy with her Brio work and the art-related opportunities that have come to her through relationships with residents and others in the greater community. And she "definitely" plans to continue showcasing her work for the residents she loves.

"I've been loving abstract and the visualization of abstract emotion, like how colors and shapes convey connection," Grace says. "Right now, I'm working on a piece about that that I hope to display here at Brio and get the residents' thoughts and opinions."

"Her true self"

Maria Jordan, sales director at Brio, says residents and team members alike are great fans of Grace's work — and of Grace in general.

"Because she has been here since we opened, residents talk about how lovely it's been to watch her grow from a teenager into the wonderful adult she has become," Maria says. "They are blown away by her talent, and also by her as a person. She's such an important part of the community and we will always be her greatest fans!"

(Examples of Grace's work include, from left, an abstract, a religious portrait, and a pen-and-ink drawing of her girlfriend, Summer.)