Evan Grant

2023 Senior Exhibition Artists

Evan Grant

Art + Design: Graphic Design

About Evan Grant

Hi, I’m Evan! I am a graphic designer and writer based in Massachusetts with a passion for creating spaces, amplifying voices, and sharing stories. My work is heavily centered around connection and collaboration—working with others from all walks of life to create something beautiful and meaningful. This Spring, I will be graduating from the College of Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design.

Statement

Named after Tomisaku Kawasaki, a Japanese pediatrician who first described the illness in medical literature in 1967, Kawasaki disease (KD), also known as Kawasaki syndrome, is a severe illness that primarily affects children under the age of 5. It is characterized by inflammation of the blood vessels throughout the body, and some noticeable symptoms include fever, bloodshot eyes, rash, strawberry tongue and red cracked lips, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, red palms/soles, and swollen hands/feet. While the disease affects around 4,200 children per year in the US, its cause is still unknown. There is not any specific test for identifying KD, just clinical diagnosis by a doctor, but with it being so rare, it can slip by unnoticed leaving many children with severe, life-altering complications, or even death. But there’s more to Kawasaki Disease than the physical damages it may leave behind. I was diagnosed with KD at two and a half years old in 2004, and even after being treated, my family and I experienced years of mental and emotional trauma that we had to process.

In an effort to raise awareness of these kinds of mental and emotional effects KD can have, I have created a project in collaboration with the Kawasaki Disease Foundation where we (survivors, family members, doctors, researchers, volunteers, etc.) can share our stories together, titled, Like the Motorcycle?

Through design, typography, and shared imagery, I aim to subvert the traditional assumptions that are made when discussing illnesses and reintroduce the humanity—the real people experiencing their trauma—back into the conversation. Those experiences and stories that get lost in the data are just as important; We are more than just numbers. I encourage you all to take the time to read at least one story, learn more about KD, and how you may be able to help raise awareness.

Thank you for reading our stories.