The Arts and Older Adults

Sharon B. Smith

Visual Arts

My approach in teaching each different class with social economic, cultural and diversity is to allow each person to develop their potential, no matter what place they are starting from. Each student enters my class at their unique and diverse level of art education and it is important to encourage their independent creative process at their own level and pace – therefore in a positive space of respect in a community is formed. As motivation for the students, I start with a presentation of the lesson, using examples of my art work and the masters. Then art elements are presented to the students.

Sample workshop:

The type of workshop I choose to do is painting flowers – which is a favorite topic with seniors. I would bring fresh flowers and show both my flower painting as well as those of famous artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Mondrian. Variations of the lesson include quick pencil or charcoal sketching ,with the use of the dominant and non-dominant hand. Then students can add colour with the use of watercolour pencils or paints in a longer pose. I can teach different techniques (such as dry brush, wax resist, pointillism and art aspects).

Materials:

Paper, pencils , watercolor pencils and paints

Listed with:

ArtistsInspire

Available for:

On-line workshops

Language(s) of facilitation:

English

Contact:

teacher.artist@outlook.com

514-994-0542

https://sharonbsmith.wixsite.com/sharonart

Montreal

Land Acknowledgement

ELAN is an official minority language organization within a country that recognizes two languages as official. ELAN is located in Tiohtià:ke, the original name for Montreal in Kanien’kéha, the language of the Mohawk—also known as Mooniyang, which is the Anishinaabeg name given to the city by the Algonquin. While we are based in this city, our projects have also taken place in many regions across Quebec.

We acknowledge the colonial origin of English and French in Canada, and recognize that both languages benefit from official status throughout the land. The province that we know as Quebec is an amalgamation of the traditional territories of the Innu and Inuit nations, Algonquian nations, as well as the Mohawk nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Kanien’kéha and Anishinaabemowin are but two of the original languages of this province; Atikamekw, Cree, Inuktitut, and Innu-aimun are also among the many Indigenous languages spoken across Quebec as majority languages, all well before French and English.

ELAN acknowledges the important work being done by First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to revive the traditional languages of these territories, and their advocacy for the official status of Indigenous languages.

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