The Memory Project: Storytelling through visual arts, theater & puppetry

  HSC Bensonhurst Senior Center HOME Project Blog 14 11/18/2021 With last week a holiday in observance of Veteran’s Day our amazing students had plenty of time to finish their homework. They shared photos of their fabulous miniature houses on WeChat, and it was especially thrilling to see them “live” in 3D during our class. But first we had to warm up our bodies and imagination and what better way to do that than with some more balance exercises.  We are going to BALANCE our little houses today! We walked on the spot, rolling our shoulders back and keeping our gaze straight ahead as we concentrated on our core, pulling our belly button back to our spine. Next, we shifted weight from side to side and we were ready for the Flamingo. Standing on one leg we leaned into the other and lifted one arm up and tried bringing the other up to match it if we felt we could. The Shooting Star saw our seniors stand with their legs wide apart, lifting one leg to the side and the opposite arm o...

  The Creative Center Training Institute for Artists and Administrators in Arts in Healthcare and Creative Aging November 1-22, 2021 Inseparable Virtual Premiere - November 12, 2021 Inseparable’s virtual premiere was part of The Creative Center’s Training Institute for Artists and Administrators in Arts Healthcare and Creative Aging. Many thanks to Robin Glazer, Director, TCC and Sophia Heinecke, Arts and Wellness Manager TCC for this opportunity. Many participants in the 2 week training logged on as well as viewers from afar afield as Canada!  Sophia posed very interesting questions in the talkback which followed the show, asking us about our inspiration, research, and development of the piece. We spoke of how objects carry meaning and even the most mundane can evoke feelings and sensations. We chose to use a variety of different objects in our show to provoke a sense of wonder and whimsy in our audience. We selected 6 objects as representative of each of the interviewees, ...

The Creative Center Training Institute for Artists and Administrators in Arts in Healthcare and Creative Aging November 1-22, 2021 Storytelling in Arts and Health: Shifting Narratives, Activating Community Histories   Webinar Panel - November 11, 2021 Spica and I were honored to be asked to speak on a panel as part of The Creative Center’s recent Training Institute. As both graduates of the Training Institute and past presenters we know the importance of continuing the discussion about the important central role arts plays in developing effective and meaningful healthcare and creative aging programming. The Webinar, entitled Storytelling in Arts and Health: Shifting Narratives, Activating Community Histories was moderated by Dr. David Olawuyi Fakunle, Ph.D. who calls himself a “mercenary for change”. His interests include stressors within the built environment, societal manifestations of racism, and the use of arts and culture to strengthen health, equity, and ultimately liberatio...

  (Photos by Sio Man) FLUSHING TOWN HALL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP Best Arts Education Practices for Senior Students  November 2, 2021 Spica and I were honored to be asked to present a Professional Development workshop for fellow Teaching Artists at Flushing Town Hall. We want to express our gratitude to Gabrielle Hamilton, Director of Education and Public Programs, Sio Man Lam and Haihong Cheng, Education Department, for making this possible. It was great to see familiar faces in the workshop and make new friends. We are also excited that the workshop was recorded and will be made available for those who were unable to attend in person, thanks Steve for your assistance! We began with a warmup mirror exercise to engage the imagination, develop focus, get to know each other, and have some fun! FUN being the operative word in classes for senior students. A Hands-on activity followed using disparate shaped cardboard cutouts exploring possible stories through play. U...

  HSC Bensonhurst Senior Center HOME Project Blog 13 11/04/2021 It’s all about balance! We are constructing our home mobile so to warm up our minds and bodies we began with some more balancing exercises. These are important to incorporate in your daily exercise as they help develop core strength and balance. We stood tall with our hands on hips and slowly rotated our body, drawing out 10 circles with our upper body. Then we stood on one leg while we threw punches across our body alternating between the left and right arms. Finally, we marched on the spot, lifting our knees to hip level while simultaneously swinging alternate arms. This is a good aerobic workout. Sharing is integral to all our classes and our seniors showed us their houses. Simply beautiful! They added windows and decorated the door, personalizing it with the house number, then added a roof, experimenting with a round one. So Sim cleverly used recycled plastic to create vertical blinds. A small hole was pierced thro...