From Bloom to Boss Level: Yale Artists Reimagine the SOM Entrepreneurship Suite

When the lower level of Evans Hall was renovated in 2016, the Entrepreneurship "Bunker" transformed into the Honest Tea Entrepreneurship Suite – expanding to include new staff offices, two conference rooms, a kitchen, student workspaces, and a central meeting table. Nearly a decade later, the Suite has had another glow-up: two custom art installations celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship at Yale now adorn the walls leading visitors into the space.

The installations are the work of Yale MFA students Wendy Li '25 and Chuye Chen (JUICE) '25. The pair has collaborated since their first year at the Yale School of Art, building their portfolios while embedding themselves in Yale's innovation ecosystem. Their first major commission came through the Yale Ventures X CCAM Curatorial Fellowship, a months-long project that tasked them with outfitting the new Yale Ventures offices at 101 College Street with a multi-part installation nodding toward neural networks and Yale's history of innovation.

Now, the two installations bring the energy and ambition of Yale's startup ecosystem to life on the walls of Evans Hall. The first, entitled Bloom, greets visitors in the hallway leading to the Suite with a vibrant, abstract exploration of the industries where SOM founders are making their mark – from retail and CPG to tech and beyond. Step inside and you'll find the second, added this month near Director Kyle Jensen's office: a vivid homage to Honest Tea, the brand whose founders' generosity made this space possible, rendered in the same bold style as its counterpart outside. Together, the pieces tell a story about where Yale entrepreneurs come from, where they're headed, and the legacy that inspires them.

What was the inspiration behind each installation?

[Wendy]

Both installations started with a core question: How do you celebrate and encourage entrepreneurship?

For Bloom, our research revealed the incredible diversity of Yale SOM founders, who move between industries as varied as healthcare, robotics, and sustainable fashion. This insight led to the "Bloom" metaphor, where we saw entrepreneurship as a collaborative garden.

For the Honest Tea installation, we drew inspiration from the brand's 'T' shaped visual identity, which is filled with illustrations and imagery. Our bottle design concept evolved from this illustrative 'T,' and at the same time, we wanted to celebrate both the product and its journey. This led to researching Honest Tea's origins and product backgrounds, uncovering fascinating stories that informed our inside-outside image composition.

What is your design process like?

[JUICE]

My process usually starts with a metaphor that feels physically true. When Wendy and I were talking about entrepreneurship, I kept thinking: everyone treats startups as “experiments,” but to me it feels even more like a game – you’re confident enough to enter the next level, but the map is always partly unknown, and the moment you think you’ve cleared a stage, a new challenge appears.

That led me to this image of a level-based world map – isometric, playful, and full of surprises. Isometric projection also turned out to be very practical: if the Program wants to expand the “hall of fame” over time, you can add new pieces without fighting perspective or breaking the visual logic.

In terms of execution, I work very hands-on visually, but I also use tech as a tool. I sketched the world first. Then, I trained an AI model specifically for this visual language, generating modular details, and compositing everything in Photoshop so the final piece still feels cohesive and intentional.

And honestly, the last step – the vinyl installation – was the real boss level. I’m not great at physical making, so I naively thought, “How hard can it be?” It was hard. I genuinely thought we might fail at the finish line. That moment really matched the whole theme: you level up, new skill unlocked…because the game forces you to.

As artists and creatives, why do you think you are drawn to startups and entrepreneurship for your work?

[Wendy]

We're convinced that every startup represents a kind of gentle disagreement with the present, an effort to create a new reality. As creatives with a focus on experiential storytelling, we want to contribute to this narrative.

We also truly believe startup founders are creatives at heart. Just like artists, startups discover problems, find unexpected solutions, connect with people, and make an impact on the world. Having experience in both the startup and cultural worlds, we've been amazed by the similarities and the powerful stories behind every creation. In fact, working on projects like this one encouraged us to start our own studio, so now we're creative entrepreneurs, too!

What do you hope people will see or take away from the work you’ve produced in this office?

[JUICE]

I hope people feel two things: “I belong here,” and “I can move.”

Entrepreneurship can look intimidating, like you need the perfect plan before you even step in. I want the wall to quietly say: you don’t. You just start, you learn, you grow.

So if someone walks by at 1 a.m., stressed about their deck, and they look up and feel like, Alright… I’m still in the game, that’s the win.

Read more about Wendy and JUICE's work here.