Wow! I've been to some pretty amazing places in my life these past two years...but none of these places can top what I experienced today!
At around nine o'clock on this beautiful, sunny, crisp November morning, I packed up my Honda full of art supplies and headed off to Sunset Park Place Retirement Community. It was our first session of our Creative Aging Program that we are starting at the Dubuque Art Center.
As I entered the activity room at 5 minutes to ten, I already had 8 students patiently waiting. They were all very curious about what was going to take place. As I began to unpack and open my supplies, I had one very bright and cheery lady helping me out any way should could, loving the feeling of being useful.
In the next ten minutes people of all abilities started to trickle in. Soon, I had 20 bright eyes staring at me ready to see what we were going to create. I gave a quick demo of drawing materials and some basic watercolor techniques and let them quickly get to work. It was amazing to see their apprehension as the new materials laid by their fingertips. With a little encouragement though, the magic began.
Eyes lit up, grins appeared across faces, old skills came back to life, stories and memories flooded the air! Art awakened their senses that had seemed to be closed for much too long.
Near the end of class, one little old lady walked in and had a seat. I gave her some watercolors and she asked me "What should I do with this?" I said "Let's just have some fun and see what we can do." Then her story began.
"My name is Margaret she said. I'm 94 years old. I can remember one March day at school when I was 13 years old. On this particular day at school we went for a walk. Our teacher wanted us to draw a picture of what March looked like to us. So, I began to draw a clothesline with the clothes blowing in the wind. I was very proud of my picture. And then all of a sudden, the teacher picked up my artwork and held it up to the class. I was feeling very excited, thinking she liked mine best. Then, all of a sudden, she said to the entire class, "This is the worst picture I have ever seen." I felt terrible and since that day I never did another picture."
After this story, I was shocked! I couldn't believe her teacher had said that, and yet again I could. So many times in Art, we judge our work and feel shame for not being "good" at it. Yet, the beauty of Art is that it is neither right or wrong, it's about how our eyes see this world.
So, as I begin to set up my new office space here at the Dubuque Art Center, I feel excited and lucky to be able to create an environment that is safe for the creative process to be explored. After 81 years today, Margaret finally had the opportunity and the courage to take the risk and paint. I will now proudly hang up my first painting at my new desk. Do you know what it is? It's a beautiful clothesline with clothes blowing in the wind!
