Many people don’t realize that polio still exists today, according to Rotary International Creative Director and Manager of Visual Media Kate Benzschawel. A miniature art display at Rotary’s Evanston headquarters strives to challenge this prevailing narrative.
“While we continue to tell the story of polio eradication globally, we’re looking for innovative and different ways to bring that story and knowledge to broader audiences,” she said.
The miniature art pieces display key moments throughout polio history, from a teddy bear wearing an “End Polio Now” shirt to a blue vaccine cooler. The exhibit was the culmination of months of brainstorming ahead of 2024’s World Polio Day, according to PolioPlus Digital Communications Strategist Tasha Sargent.
Benzschawel said the creative team behind the project wanted to be innovative, while also incorporating current social trends. The team noticed that miniature art was trending online, so they began researching and reaching out to artists across the globe.
“We’re trying to get into places and spaces where we might not normally be,” Benzschawel said.
She added that many small contributions have enhanced the effectiveness of polio eradication efforts. It’s a collection of moments, Benzschawel said, so displaying the movement’s history through multiple miniature art displays felt fitting.
Artists working on six miniature projects met with the creative team from Rotary to learn more about polio eradication, Rotary’s work and the current state of the eradication effort, Sargent said. Benzschawel added that about half of the artists did not initially know that polio has not yet been completely eradicated.
The artists did not have strict requirements when creating their work. They simply had to tie their work to polio, Sargent said. Each artist also posted about the project on their social media pages, according to Benzschawel.
During conversations with Rotary, Sargent said the artists landed on different parts of polio’s history to represent in their art.
Raphael Truffi Bortholuzzi, a Brazilian mixed-media artist, felt drawn to the rural vaccination clinics that were a substantial part of the eradication effort in his home country. His miniature art depicts a rural vaccination site, honoring the work of Brazilian Rotary members and health care workers.
The miniature art was displayed at the 2025 Rotary International Convention in Calgary, Canada.
But after the convention, the team at Rotary International headquarters still wanted to use their work in a meaningful way.
“We had these beautiful pieces that we’re like, ‘Hmm, we should do something else with them,’” Sargent said.
Now, the miniature art is on display in the headquarters’ lobby, and will remain in Evanston through at least April, according to Rotary Media Relations Lead Michael VanDam.
Following its current display, the miniature art’s future is uncertain. Benzschawel said the work may go on display on the 18th floor of the headquarters, among other displays from the organization’s archives. The work may also end up in the Midwest Miniatures Museum in Grand Haven, Michigan.
Until then, the display is open to the public.
“People are welcome to come in and view it anytime this office is open,” VanDam said.
General support from the public is what the ongoing eradication effort needs, Benzschawel said. Polio would be the second human disease to be eradicated globally, but she said the effort needs support to get it across the finish line.
“Polio eradication is a collection of individual choices and moments and actions, but it’s the collective — it’s the community action — that’s going to get polio eradicated for good,” Benzschawel said.
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