Bensonhurst Senior Center Blog.5 06/16/22 Portrait Book

 

Bensonhurst Senior Center

Blog 5 06/16/22

Portrait Book

Our seniors never cease to surprise and delight us, and today’s class was no exception. Beginning with a transformation theater game, which they enthusiastically embraced, we chose an animal and embodied its movement and sound. Each person threw their animal’s energy across the room where it was caught and transformed by another. Our classroom was inhabited by a variety of animals including a fish, tortoise, bird, butterfly, dog, cat, and mouse.

Students selected from a range of colored patterned paper to create their hair, using a scaled down copy of their hand drawn portrait as a template. Once the hair was cut out, they glued it in place on a second portrait. Spica and I modeled our own examples of “transformed body” as well as some created by seniors at another center. We had grouped magazine images into 3 categories, animals, objects, and food and once inspired, students chose 4-5 images which they could use for their “transformed body”. 

Conversation, laughter and sharing of ideas dominated the classroom as our students threw themselves into their designs. They have become quite adept at layering images and experimenting with different options, turning to their neighbors for advice and comment. Wings replaced arms, horns, large ears, and other elaborate headdresses adorned heads and legs were fashioned from fried chicken, cut from animal images, or created from slabs of color. Bodies were replaced with a watch face, slab of vegetables, a trio of birds, a pie and even a summer fruity drink. Once they settled on their design, they chose bright neon colored paper, which complemented their artwork and glued the layers into place. Finally, small colored shapes, previously stamped out at the beginning of class, were scattered delicately across the page. The final product was so very inventive that once each person’s work was displayed across the blackboard at the front of class, everyone gathered around discussing each other’s work. As well, staff from the center joined in, adding to the excitement of “creating something from nothing”. There is no stopping these talented students!