In late November, fourteen students climbed into a Watershed School bus heading to Brookdale Meridian, a senior living center in South Boulder. With longtime art educator, Chris Carithers, at the wheel, they sang, “Shelter from the Storm” and prepared for their upcoming assignment- an Empathy-Based Painting Project.
Chris explains, “The Resident Engagement Manager at Brookdale, Ann Marquis, and I collaborated on a project we felt would be interesting and meaningful to high school students and Brookdale residents alike. We landed on pairing students and residents for a series of discussions, with the goal of our students then creating a painting to gift their senior partner.”
Prior to their first trip to Brookdale, the “Painting and Perception” students discussed the project goals and prepared interview questions/conversation starters they would use during their interviews with their senior partners. They considered questions such as, What is one of your fondest memories?, Do you have a favorite style of art or an artist you love?, What relationships have been most meaningful to you? Chris coached his students to listen and connect, to really hone their hearing skills and to allow the conversation to be driven by the interests of their senior partner. Their goal was to listen empathetically enough to come away from the discussion with an emerging understanding of who their partner is, of what is meaningful to them, of what has impacted their lives. Over the course of the trimester, they would use developing insight to create a painting that would show their senior partner that they had been seen and understood.
Josie ‘27 remembers, “When I first met my Brookdale partner, I felt awkward and really noticed our age gap. But, we realized pretty quickly that we both love horses- we really bonded over that. The more we talked, the more I appreciated how big life really could be! He’s seen so much; had so many adventures. It was easy after that first day to slip back into easy conversation together again.”
For the next several weeks, students reflected, gathered additional information, and planned their piece. Some students reached back out to their Brookdale partner or extended family for additional information or questions about topics they’d discussed in their initial meeting. Others researched a time period, landscape, or artistic style of particular importance to their partner. Some researched particular items like car models or pointe shoes that their partner felt a special connection with.
Then, the technical work began. Students were required to demonstrate their ability to mix paints to match perceptual color in the real world, to show their ability to control shape while painting with oils, to demonstrate their ability to blend paints to create smooth transitions between colors and values, and to show their ability to conceptualize and execute a subject by taking specific details from another person’s lived experience to create a painting that communicates an understanding of that person’s life, values, or interests.
Photo Credit: Cliff Grassmick, the Daily Camera
On the last day of class, students climbed back into a Watershed bus for the last time to visit their Brookdale partners. This time they had with them the paintings they were going to give to their partners. Each painting was accompanied by a written letter, reflecting on the “why” of the painting and each artist spent some time talking with their partner about the work and their experience creating it.
“This experience made me realize how little time I spend with older people. Other than my grandparents, I haven’t really talked with anyone of that generation. I’m grateful to have been able to spend time with Joyce, my Brookdale partner, to have heard about her life and experiences. I now see that I have something to offer people like Joyce and it’s made me want to find more opportunities to connect with her generation,” reflected Lena ‘27.
“This collaboration took a lot of bravery on the part of not only the Brookdale Residents, but the students as well. The residents had to feel brave enough to trust that what they shared with the students would be treated with respect and love. The students needed to trust themselves to bring the memory to life in their painting,” shared Ann Marquis, Resident Engagement Manager, Brookdale Meridian, Boulder.
“This may be the best activity experience I have had in my time here at Brookdale,” shared Diane Thomas, Brookdale Resident.
Check out the Daily Camera’s story about this partnership here:
“Watershed Students Partner with Boulder Seniors on Oil Paintings”, written by Amy Bounds
