Bringing Art Discussion to Seniors

PAC Education Committee taking it to the seniors!

Our inaugural "off-campus" Visual Thinking Strategies event, geared towards local seniors, took place December 20 at Springfield Place. We spent a spirited hour with a small group of residents and were able to discuss three pieces of art.

Unlike the typical "UnPACking Art” events at Petaluma Arts Center where attendees are in a gallery setting, the Springfield Place attendees had no real inkling of what to expect with what was billed an "art discussion". After a quick introduction about PAC, VTS, and the three questions we would be asking, we jumped right in—Observations were voiced, details were noticed, queries were posed, opinions were changed, laughter happened, and I believe everyone had a good time.

One of the residents expressed thanks for exposing her to a completely different and enjoyable way to experience a piece of art, unlike anything she had seen in a museum setting. As a side note, the only concession we made to this group was to provide individual handouts of the images so that all participants could have their own up-close view, in case anyone was either mobility- or vision-challenged. I found this to be a good option for facilitating a VTS discussion.

I believe that bringing VTS to other local assisted-living or senior housing venues is a worthy and stimulating experience for this population. I also think it might be interesting to further branch out to seniors in our local memory-care facilities, to see what kind of creative expression VTS might spark.

Lydia Asselin, Education Committee

Bodega by Jerrie Peterson