Mary Blasutti is only too pleased to show visitors the thick folder of watercolour paintings she keeps tucked in her walker.
The subject matter of her colourful creations includes birds, animals, flowers, trees and fruit.
A resident of the Red Oak Villa retirement home for the past three years, Blasutti rarely misses art classes put on at the facility through the Art Gallery of Sudbury's Art on the Go project.
Blasutti said she never really did art before taking part in these sessions. She evidently hasn't let her inexperience dampen her enthusiasm.
“I love it. I love it,” she said. “It's relaxing, and you learn a lot. I love our teacher. She's very, very patient with us.”
Since 2005, the Art Gallery of Sudbury has facilitated hands-on workshops, demonstrations, talks and art exhibitions to more than 6,000 seniors from the Greater Sudbury area.
Participating senior facilities and homes include the Alzheimer’s Society of Sudbury, Red Oak Villa, Elizabeth Centre and Meadowbrook Retirement Village.
The art gallery wants to be inclusive of as many community members as possible, from toddlers right up to seniors, said Nancy Gareh, the gallery's education and program manager.
“If these programs were to die, it would be devastating to many of (the participants),” she said.
“We have residents at the Elizabeth Centre that have been there since 2005, and they don't miss a beat. They come to every class.”
While it's not unusual for grandparents to proudly display their grandkids' art, the opposite is true for participants in this program.
“We had one resident remark 'We're going to give it my granddaughter to hang on her refrigerator',” Gareh said. “So it's coming back in reverse.”
Participants show similar pride when their art is included in a yearly Art on the Go exhibition.
The art classes, which mostly feature watercolour painting instruction, are geared to the participants' cognitive and physical abilities.
With the Alzheimer’s Society of Sudbury day program, which caters to participants with dementia, special accommodations are made.
For example, materials are set up in exactly the same order each time, and returning participants are seated in the same location.
Last year, the Art Gallery of Sudbury released a book about the Art on the Go program's work with those who have dementia. It's called “Painting Memories: Alzheimer's and Art.”
The Art on the Go program recently received a $25,000 federal grant from the New Horizons for Seniors Program.
The funds will be used to bring the book on the road, sharing its findings with nearby communities and other organizations so they can implement similar programs, Gareh said.
Denise Lecuyer is one of two local artists hired by the gallery to run the Art on the Go program.
Before recently taking on this job, she previously volunteered at Pioneer Manor, where her aunt lived, baking with residents.
“I really like working with seniors,” she said. “They appreciate it so much.”
Lecuyer said she encourages residents to take part, whether or not they consider themselves “good” at it.
“We do art because we enjoy it,” she said. “When we are doing art, even myself, it brings me to a different place. I forget everything. I forget everything else that I'm doing in my life.
“This is what I think these new students are enjoying. Art is in the eye of the beholder. And so as long as they can leave the table and like what they've done, then I've done my job.”
If you're interested in checking out the book “Painting Memories: Alzheimer's and Art,” it costs $14.95, and is available for purchase on the Art Gallery of Sudbury's website.
