Showcasing the Good Works That Art Students Do for Charity

Leaders of Eastside Adult Day Services, in Bellevue, Wash., wanted to fill

the walls of their center with portraits of their elderly and disabled patients, but the nonprofit group didn’t have funds to pay a professional to take the pictures. So Eastside officials approached the Art Institute of Seattle, which matched the clinic with a group of students who donated their time to take and print black-and-white portraits of 11 patients. Now lining a main hallway, the framed photos make the center feel homey and full of life.

The center is one of hundreds of nonprofit groups nationwide that have benefited from the contributions of students who want a chance both to learn and to do good.

Each year about 5,000 students from the 22 art and culinary schools that make up the Art Institutes educational network volunteer to work on a range of projects that include designing brochures, creating Web sites, producing public-service announcements, and catering fund-raising events.

At the Art Institute of Seattle, for instance, 50 honors students each quarter sign up to complete a course that works on pro bono projects like the one for Eastside. During an 11-week course, each student typically spends about 120 hours formulating a concept, pitching a design idea, and producing a final product for a nonprofit group.

Timothy T. Schutz, president of the Art Institute of Seattle, says both charities and students benefit. “The nonprofit gets first-class professional work done for no charge, and the students — they get real-world experience working with clients in a professional setting.”

What’s more, says Mr. Schutz, students learn the importance of using their professional skills to help community organizations.

To call attention to the work that students have done to benefit charitable causes, the Art Institute of Seattle has mounted a display called “Pro Bono-For the Public Good.”