Springfield, Vt.
“There’s no right,” she said, during a recent afternoon program. “That means there’s no wrong.”
The fruits of that philosophy are currently on display in an exhibit at the Galley at the Vault in Springfield. It will be up until Aug. 31.
“We’re thrilled to have it here,” said Marilyn Miller, gallery manager at Vault.
The idea came from Beth Ezold, a staff member at Vault, who found out about the work Crosby was doing at Cedar Hill. At the time, Vault was displaying the work of area students.
“I thought ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to something similar for older people?’” Ezold recalled.
The works extend beyond painting and coloring. They residents create collages and also make projects that involve cutting and gluing shapes on a piece of paper. Some of the works are made by individuals and some were a group effort.
One example of that is a butterfly that was traced on a piece of paper. It’s covered in polka dots, made by residents’ fingerprints. They each chose a color, working together to create a single piece of art.
The art in the show at Vault was made by residents in February, March and April.
“Some are no longer with us and some are no longer able to do it,” Crosby said. “It’s kind of a tribute to them.”
Since the show has gone up, Crosby has brought groups of Cedar Hill residents by to see their art on display. Their reactions delight everyone in the gallery.
“They just kind of melt,” Miller said. “We’re really really pleased.”
It’s a feeling that’s mutual.
“It gives them a sense of purpose,” Crosby said. “They may not remember what they had for breakfast, but give them an art project and they just take (to) it.”
Attending Art Class at Cedar Hill
There’s art that appears all over the walls in the memory care unit at Cedar Hill, where 20 residents live. Entering the memory care unit, it’s the first thing I notice. Glancing up at the ceiling in an activity room, there are colored-in suns hanging from the ceiling along with butterflies. Other cutouts grace the walls. I can’t get over how much there is to see. Flowers and leaves, colored in scenes hang on the windows and sunlight hits them, making it shine.
“It’s good for them to have different levels to look at,” Crosby said. With their vision changing, it encourages residents to look around. “And it works, believe it or not.”
They change the ceiling art every month, creating new points of interest.
The group is beginning sunflower paintings on the day I visited. Studio time is held every day at 1:30 p.m., after lunch. They also play brain games, garden and regularly listen to music. Crosby gave me a tour of the backyard, pointing out the plywood murals on the fence, the blossoming tomato plants and flowers that residents helped plant.
“They like the schedule, the routine, the familiarity of what happens next,” Crosby said.
Some residents have done art before, while others like Claudine Spencer are doing it for the first time.
“It just opened everything up for me,” she said.
The group projects are stunning. They include a dream catcher with colored in feathers that hangs from a wall and a mural where residents used fingerprints to make a lupin. Their names are written on the stems.
“We put them all together to make a garden,” Crosby said.
The group aspect is something Spencer likes most about the art activities.
“We all sit down and do this together,” she said. “The ideas come from right here. Each seems to have a certain penchant for a certain activity.”
Residents who may be unable to do the art themselves are welcome to watch and participate by offering their opinions. The idea is to include everyone, creating a network of support that extends beyond the projects themselves. The residents are at various stages in their memory disorders and can understand what each other is going through.
“They may have forgotten some things, but they’re still learning new ones,” Crosby said. “They amaze me every single day. I learn something every single day.”
Editor’s note: Gallery at the Vault is located at 68 Main St. Visit galleryvault.org/ for their hours. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com.
