Creative Aging Class Participants’ Paintings on Display at Southwest Branch Library
On Saturday, June 11, a reception was held for participants of the Arlington Public Library 's Creative Aging painting classes. The paintings are currently on display at the Southwest Branch Library.
In several locations across the city this year, senior adults have been picking up their paintbrushes to tell the stories of their lives. More than 100 students have attended Creative Aging painting classes since 2015, learning to express themselves through the visual arts. The current exhibit is the work of a class of 28 students who participated in a six-week series of water painting classes this spring.
Last year, the project was made possible by an Arts Education in American Communities grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. This year, APL relied on the generosity of the Friends of the Arlington Public Library to continue the program. 'The grant was for watercolors so we had to be really creative with our processes, ' teacher Debbie Panton said. Vinyl, isopropyl alcohol, modelling paste, and other techniques were used to bring the skills taught in the traditional portion of the class out into some truly stunning works of art.
'This class was so important, ' participant Fengyu Hong said. Hong painted a very simple jar with very complicated techniques. The painting was inspired by a weekend getaway with her friends. 'Painting the jar brought back great memories of my time. '
Creative Aging is a national movement that fosters an understanding of the vital relationship between creative expression and healthy aging. According to experts on healthy aging, senior adults need to find their voices and share the stories of their lives, whether through writing, music, performance arts or visual arts. Such activities improve quality of life by reducing isolation and increasing mental acuity and feelings of well-being.
Visit the library 's senior page to learn more about programs and services for Arlington 's senior community.
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