Drawing the Line Between Art and Science

What can art teach us about science? How can an illustration influence the understanding of the human body?

Grover Hogan, MS ’68, hopes that by bringing distinguished lecturers, scholars, authors and artists to Augusta University annually, the John and Martha Hogan Art of Science Lectureship will highlight how these disciplines intersect and serve to better inform and train future leaders to advance health care and improve the human experience throughout Georgia.

“Since the time of Leonardo da Vinci, art and science have been beautifully intertwined,” said Amanda Behr, PhD, chair of the Department of Medical Illustration in the College of Allied Health Sciences at Augusta University. “This lectureship offers a platform to showcase work at the intersection of these two disciplines.”

Hogan graduated from the Academy of Richmond County before earning his Master of Science in Medical Illustration from the Medical College of Georgia in 1968. After graduating from MCG, Hogan was the director of Medical Illustration, Art, and Photography at Emory University for two decades before retiring in 2002.

“I went to the Academy of Richmond County,” Hogan said. “I wasn’t a particularly distinguished student, but my homeroom teacher knew I liked to draw pictures and told me there were ‘drawers’ over at the Medical College. So that was when I first heard about medical illustration.”

According to Behr, medical illustrators strive to communicate health information to patients with various life experiences and levels of health literacy. They consider how artistic messages resonate with multiple audiences and tailor their communication to reach as many people as possible through thoughtful design.

With that in mind, it’s not surprising that Hogan has used his life and work experiences to help others in ways outside of medical illustration.

In recent years, Hogan has focused his time on other passions, particularly advocating for people with disabilities and collaborating with artists with disabilities. In 2009, he became a citizen advocate for Lois Curtis, and the two became fast friends who bonded over their shared love of art and creating it. Not only did Hogan serve as an advocate for Curtis, but he also mentored her in the arts and helped provide her with art supplies and a space to create. Curtis passed away in 2022, but Hogan still advocates for his dear friend and fellow artist by ensuring her art is shown in galleries and festivals throughout the Southeast.

“Mr. Hogan has a long history of disability advocacy,” Behr said. “His mission of support is reflected in the field of medical illustration. For instance, we consider text size and color choices to accommodate individuals with low vision, color vision deficiencies and those who find reading challenging.”

In addition to his enthusiasm for helping others through advocacy and his love for art and science, Hogan has a deep admiration for his family and heritage. His reverence for his family led him to create the Art of Science Lectureship and to name it after his beloved parents, the late John Broadus Hogan and Martha Alice Hogan, better known to their friends and family as Broadus and Alice.

Hogan’s parents married in 1934 and remained together until his father’s passing in 1957. His mother graduated from Tubman Girls School in 1932 and lived in Augusta until 1974, when she moved to North Augusta, South Carolina. She was a dedicated volunteer for her church and community while also working at MCG for 20 years as the secretary to the nursing school faculty.

“My parents were the most beloved twosome in my life,” Hogan said fondly. “My father was the youngest of a very large family of maybe 12 children. They were all from Lincoln County, Georgia, and my mother was from Lincoln County.”

Hogan then paints an intriguing picture of his heritage.

A particular point of pride for Hogan is that his family is connected to historic Baptist churches in the area. On his father’s side, Hogan’s great-grandfather and grandfather made New Hope Baptist Church in Lincolnton, Georgia well known for its lengthy father-son pastorate. John Hogan (1826-1903) served the church for 38 years, and his son, known as “Am” Hogan (1869-1938), served 42 years.

If you trace his father’s family back even further, they are descended from the founders of Kiokee Baptist Church, Georgia’s oldest continuously operating Baptist church, located in Appling, Georgia. Specifically, Hogan’s ancestry includes Daniel Marshall, who has a special marker at the Marshall historic site bearing his name and a brief history of the church’s founding.

“My parents never thought that was any big deal, really,” Hogan recalled. “And they almost reluctantly told us about these things … the fact that my paternal grandmother’s family, several generations ago during Revolutionary (War) times, started the Georgia Baptist Association at Kiokee Baptist Church on the Kiokee Creek.”

Hogan and his four siblings grew up in Thomson, Georgia and, like his parents, have deep roots in the Augusta area. Hogan still owns property in the area, and although he lives in Decatur, Georgia, he frequently visits family and colleagues throughout the Augusta area. His love for his family and ties to the community, combined with his passion for art and science, inspired him to make an estate gift to establish the Art of Science Lectureship at his alma mater.

“This lectureship will highlight both art and science, but I hope it also serves as a venue to hear from individuals with disabilities,” Behr emphasized. “I believe this initiative will provide an opportunity to invite experts to our campus and enrich the experiences of our students and the university community.”

For information about how you can impact Augusta University by creating a lectureship or supporting the John and Martha Hogan Art of Science Lectureship, please email Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement or call 706-721-4001.