Paint Parties! 515 people make the mural!
I wanted to have this project be collaborative from start to finish. It was inspired by the feedback of older adults in our community and fittingly was also painted by them. By organizing 11 community paint parties around Richmond, over 515 individuals from ages 2 to 102 take part in the painting of the mural! The goal was to have participants be inspired by the ideas of the project and feel empowered by having helped bring it to life! The paint parties took a lot of organization and volunteers. A huge thank you to members of the team from Senior Connections and Genworth, our sponsor, along with all of their employee volunteers for helping to make the parties such a success!
Each 5x5 foot panel of fabric was outlined and color coded with matching, hand mixed paints, so participants could treat it like a large paint by number. This made the activity very approachable to people of all ages and skill levels including those with cognitive and physical disabilities. During Active Aging Week, we made sure to be present at several events hosted by Bon Secours, the Visual Arts Center (joined by the Lifelong Learning Institute). At "Fun at the Fairgrounds" in Chesterfield, many participants in Senior Connections' Friendship Cafés, (many of whom were also interviewed), took part at special events. Panels were painted by older individuals (including one participant who was 102!) at retirement communities such as Lakewood, Westminster Canterbury, and Cedarfield. Families, teens, and young children (as young as 2!) took part at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and Maggie L. Walker Governor's School's Fall Festival. Little by little the project came to life. In just 5 and a half weeks, the mural was painted and I set about doing minor touch ups and prepping for the installation.
Each 5x5 foot panel of fabric was outlined and color coded with matching, hand mixed paints, so participants could treat it like a large paint by number. This made the activity very approachable to people of all ages and skill levels including those with cognitive and physical disabilities. During Active Aging Week, we made sure to be present at several events hosted by Bon Secours, the Visual Arts Center (joined by the Lifelong Learning Institute). At "Fun at the Fairgrounds" in Chesterfield, many participants in Senior Connections' Friendship Cafés, (many of whom were also interviewed), took part at special events. Panels were painted by older individuals (including one participant who was 102!) at retirement communities such as Lakewood, Westminster Canterbury, and Cedarfield. Families, teens, and young children (as young as 2!) took part at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and Maggie L. Walker Governor's School's Fall Festival. Little by little the project came to life. In just 5 and a half weeks, the mural was painted and I set about doing minor touch ups and prepping for the installation.