As you walk through the Arnold Building at Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle, you may feel like you are visiting an art gallery. This is thanks to a unique, long-standing partnership between Fred Hutch and Cornish College of the Arts that started in 2005.
“When the [Fred Hutch] Public Health Sciences Division first moved into the Arnold Building, there were what felt like miles of empty white walls,” said Rosemarie Keenan, associate vice president of the Public Health Sciences Division and a longtime supporter of the art partnership.
A chance encounter between Cornish professor Bonnie Biggs, MFA, and a staff member of the division sparked the idea to use the space for art. Cornish was recently acquired by Seattle University.
“Bonnie mentioned their annual Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) show and suggested bringing some of the pieces here,” Keenan said.
The idea quickly gained traction and 20 years later, the program remains a fixture at Fred Hutch. This year’s BFA Exhibit and selections were held on April 4 and the selected art pieces will be on display beginning 2026 in the Arnold Building.
In addition to the Public Health Sciences Division, the Arnold Building is home to several other research divisions and groups as well as the Wellness Center, which contains a number of specialty clinics including Survivorship, and Employee Health Clinic.
