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

  Bensonhurst Senior Center Blog 6 06/23/22  Portrait Book Our final class and many students were early, already set up and finishing off their artwork from the previous lesson. What an incredible group! Lao Yu even takes 3 buses just to get to our class. It is always sad when a project we’ve been working on together comes to an end but also exciting to see the finished product.  Because we had a few steps to complete before putting the book together, we decided against a warmup game and jumped right into modeling the collage for the cover of their Portrait Book. For this they selected colored magazine images of scenery and patterns, which they tore into small pieces of different shapes. Once they had a pile of torn colors they patterned them onto white cardstock, using the layering method they had previously employed. Using a glue stick they created their collage and added a layer of Mod Podge for a polished finish. In order to complete the cover, they had to add their p...

  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 “...

  Bensonhurst Senior Center Blog 4 06/09/22 Portrait Book A birthday is always a great reason to have cake, but it’s especially important when it’s So Sim’s. As our oldest student and one of our most prolific, we were so happy to take a break in class to sing happy birthday to her and wish her well. Bensonhurst provided a delicious cake, which we all shared after, So Sim made a wish then blew out the candles. Typical of So Sim’s generosity, she had presents for all of us - scrumptious cake, and delicately crocheted colorful bells. Spica and I also received charming, crocheted face masks, a must wear at our next event! Thank you So Sim for all the joy you bring to us, our students and everyone at Bensonhurst Senior Center!! Julisa had already laid out all the supplies and told us about So Sim’s surprise, so no sooner had we arrived than we began helping students trim their completed pieces to the correct size. As students were quickly engaged, we thought we may as well continue so s...

Bensonhurst Senior Center Blog 3 06/02/22 Portrait Book The Kitchens at Bensonhurst Senior Center were busy today making zongzi in celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival. Many hands were on deck to cook the sticky rice and wrap it in bamboo leaves. Spica and I were given 2, supplemented by another from Lao Yu. Along with So Sim’s zongzi from last week we will be eating delicious, tasty nutty treats for the next week! Thank you so much!! As we focused on portrait collages today, we warmed up with a movement and improvisation game. Each person thought of something they were good at which they could mime. “Action” began their movement and “1, 2, 3 camera” allowed them to pose in mid action as though they were having their photo taken enacting the movement. Some of the variety of activities were sewing, doing Tai Chi, exercising, singing, dancing, and looking after the baby. As each person did their action, the rest of the class did their own movement for the chosen activity.  Spica ...

Bensonhurst Senior Center Blog 2  5/26/22 Portrait Book Color affects each of us differently. Colors resonate with us as they bring back memories or strong feelings. As a warmup exercise, we all struck a pose or movement as each of the primary colors were named. Working in pairs, the leader thought of a color then enacted a movement which reflected how that color made them feel. Without discussing what the color was, the partner matched their emotion with a movement.   Acknowledging the seniors’ work is an essential part of each class. Each student’s collage from last week was held up and the colors, shapes and layout were discussed. Everyone was encouraged to comment on what they saw and what emotions or feelings the color choice created in them. Students also commented on each other’s choice of tiger and how the collaged background affected how the tiger was perceived. Tracing technique was demonstrated, and students taped a piece of tracing paper over their headshot an...

Bensonhurst Senior Center Blog 1  5/19/22 Portrait Book What a pleasure to be back at Bensonhurst Senior Center today! And what a reception Spica and I received! So many familiar faces from our online classes, some students who were in our last in person class and a couple of new students. The Center is a joyful place, buzzing with creativity with loads of smiling faces. We were greeted by Fanny, Hong, Winnie, and Chip and as always, Julissa was first there, having already arranged for our classroom to be set up and our materials in place. We also received bright purple Homecrest Community Services hoodies - perfect for a cold windy day. Thank you! We feel honored and very special every time we walk through the doors. So Sim had an extra treat for us both - beautifully crocheted floral bouquets and 2 adorable, crocheted flower brooches. At 94 years young, So Sim is the oldest student in our class but one of the most prolific. She’s always ready to learn something new, offer help to...

  Bensonhurst Senior Center Blog  10  4/21/22 Flowers & Family Tree Did you know there are specific warm up exercises for gamers? Well, many of them are just the ticket for our students who are using their fingers, hands, and wrists to create beautiful folding paper art. We began with opposition finger taps then finger abductions with closed and open fingers. We then put our palms together and separated our fingers followed by single finger circles. This is a challenging exercise, and everyone does what she can at her own pace. Carpal tunnel is a painful condition so to help avoid this we practiced a carpal squeeze activity with wide palm extension. Finally, we exercised our wrists. This is the final class of our “Flowers & Family Tree” program, so we wanted to ensure the bouquet was completed. Our students made 6 flowers, each with 5 petals, for homework and now glued each flower together. Next, they threaded a bead onto the wire and poked it through the center o...