Moving Art: An Ongoing Exploration
Where do dance and visual art intersect?
AFTA Teaching Artists Nancy Havlik and Donna McKee explore this question in their program Moving Art. Originally developed for active older adults with a grant from the Metlife Foundation, the series has been redesigned to suit the physical and cognitive changes those in our partnering centers are experiencing. Participants explore the work of 20th century artists like Jackson Pollock and Paul Klee through movement and original art-making.
The new pilot premiered last winter at East County Community Center in Silver Spring, MD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDlFerVbXlg
This summer, participants at The Kensington Club in Rockville, MD experimented in the program with paint, charcoal and collage. Most of all, they loved to dance; especially Bill, who found in Teaching Artist Nancy a nimble partner.
Where is Moving Art headed next? You’ll find us at The Support Center in Rockville, MD, where we look forward to exploring the works of Spanish artists with the community’s Hispanic population.
You Have the Power: Publish Our Seniors
We need your help to support an exciting new project for older adults in our community.
Power2Give (P2G) is an online giving tool that connects donors with projects they are passionate about. AFTA is proud to be a member of Montgomery County’s first Power2Give cohort. Along with 20 of our fellow arts nonprofits, we are harnessing online support to fund a very special new project for older adults participating in our arts engagement programs.
PUBLISH OUR SENIORS
We want to publish a book of our participants’ stories, poetry and artwork. We want them to experience the rush of seeing their name and work on a printed page. We want them to proudly share their work with family, friends and neighbors. Your donation today will 1) support arts engagement workshops where senior participants will write, paint and imagine original works on paper and 2) fund the publication of a book that will preserve their beautiful stories and dreams.
GIVE TODAY
Help us achieve our goal of $1,000 in 24 hours.
Learn more about our project and make a donation. It takes less than one minute and couldn’t be easier. Monument Bank has generously offered to match your donation fifty cents for each dollar. Those funds are limited, however, so you must ACT NOW.
We have until 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 13 to raise kick-off our campaign with $1,000 in the bank. We cannot do this without your support and there are many ways you can help.
- Donate any amount
- Forward this email with your network
- Like Arts for the Aging on Facebook. Share our campaign on your page.
- Tweet about it #ArtsfortheAging
Make it personal. Tell them why AFTA matters to you. Encourage them to share with their social network. It’s never been so easy to make a difference in the lives of seniors. Give, Share, Repeat. See you at the finish line!
Special thanks for Monument Bank for providing matching funds of $0.50 for every $1.00 donated.
MAY 19, 2013: Tennis Tournament for All Ages
His Excellency Jonas Hafström, Ambassador of Sweden, and Mrs. Eva Hafström were Honorary Chairs of another fabulous Annual Mixed Doubles Tennis Tournament — our 23rd for the event, and their 6th year hosting. Though rain washed away most tournament play on Sunday morning, exhibition matches in the afternoon on the Swedish Embassy Residence court were followed by a fabulous evening dinner reception, award ceremony and silent auction also at the residence. We were wowed by junior exhibition players Lilly Lynham, Shannon Hanley, Lizzie Baker and Valerie Ho in an all-USTA-Mid-Atlantic-ranked face-off and celebrity match players Mark Ein, Richey Renenberg, Dan Waldman and Gordi Ernst. Much gratitiude to Junior Tennis Champions Center C.E.O. Ray Benton and Washington Kastles owner Mark Ein who arranged the exhibitions. Co-chair of AFTA’s 25th Anniversary WUSA9 anchor JC Hayward gave a warm greeting to guests and toasted AFTA’s mission. Saluted were Ambassador and Mrs. Hafström for their dedication and commitment to helping ensure the success of this event for AFTA during their time here in the U.S. — they head back to Sweden in June 2013 — and a dedicated tennis committee led by this year’s new event chair Bill Weber and outgoing and long-time chair, AFTA trustee Kuni Matsuda. Thanks so very much to our sponsors, court hosts, patrons, volunteers and friends who made it all possible. Coverage can be found at Swedish Scene and at JCHayward.com; the evening’s program is available here and more photos can be found on Flickr (by stephaniewilliamsimages.com; additional thanks to Kuni Matsuda and Brandi Rose). Contact [email protected] if you’re interested in joining the 2014 tennis committee.
Giving Voice to Memory
Women at Long Branch Senior Center celebrated Women’s History Month this March in a series of storytelling sessions with Teaching Artist Candace Wolf. In her program “Giving Voice to Memory”, seniors explored their personal identities as women, the impact of women through time, and the potential for women in the future. Candace recorded their conversations and created a long-form poem that the women performed for other seniors at the center during a culminating event.
When asked what she learned from the experience, one participant responded “I learned that we are all the same. You look around and you don’t know this…we are from different countries but we share the same experiences, many of us coming to this country from somewhere else and having to raise our children.”
Read on for an excerpt from their group poem.
Being a woman means to believe that you can do anything you set your mind to.
Being a woman means that you help populate the world.
Being a woman means striking out on your own and saying, “I think I can do that!”
Being a woman means you bear the children and you nurture them.
Being a woman means having STRENGTH for activity and for life.
Being a woman means to be esteemed and loved.
Being a woman means having a strong work ethic.
Being a woman means making sure dinner on Sunday is worth dying for! Then you can relax before you have to go back to work on Monday.
Being a woman means we’ve come a long way! There was a time when women had no say, whatsoever. We just had to keep quiet. But since Women’s Suffrage, women are able to voice our own opinions.
Being a woman means to experience a lot of hardship. A woman knows what it takes—coming from nowhere—to get where she want to go in life, and how hard it is.
Being a woman means to care for the children and teach them to read. We do the housework and scrub the floor. A woman’s pots and pans are always clean and shining.
Being a woman means you can go back to college and try your hand at different careers.
Being a woman means that your labor should never be degraded. Being a woman means all your work should have dignity. My grandmother carried milk cans on top of her head and walked the streets selling milk. She did all sorts of things to make a living. I did domestic work. I did it with pride. I raised children. We women are actually pretty powerful.
Being a woman means there is no shame in any job, as long as you’re making an honest living, and as long as you love what you do. Being a woman means getting up early in the morning and going to work every single day, Monday to Saturday, until you retire. Being a woman means you never get tired!
Being a woman means you can go beyond your mothers’ and grandmothers’ generation. Being a woman means you can train for different professions.
Being a woman means having a lot of courage to come to a new country with just one suitcase and starting life over. Being a woman means putting food on the table and clothes on the backs of yours children. Being a woman means the sky is the limit. I work hard and now I can say to the world that: “I’M A WOMAN! HEAR ME ROAR!”
Photos by Stephanie Williams Images