Art Classes Help Seniors Tap into their Creative Side
Busy art class at the Senior Center. Photos contributed by Debbie Sand.
By Grace Allen
A diverse collection of artwork by Norfolk’s Senior Center artists were on display last month at the public library. The senior art exhibition kicked off with an opening celebration and reception on August 1, showcasing the skill that flourishes within the community.
On display were watercolors, drawings, photography, diamond art, acrylic painting, and knitting.
This was the first time the senior center has held an art exhibit. The event was proposed by Sharon Carloni, who has been teaching drawing and watercolor at the senior center for a year now.
The popular classes are fun to teach, she said.
“It makes me happy to share what I love,” said the long-time art teacher and Norfolk resident.
The classes include some very talented students, as well as some who just enjoy a creative outlet. Carloni says her goal is to teach techniques but then lets the students take it from there.
“You don’t have to copy me or anyone else,” she tells her students. “You’re going to find your own voice and see where it leads you.”
Along with drawing and watercolor, Carloni has started instructing her students in sumi-e, which is Japanese brush painting in black ink. The sumi-e technique is helpful to students learning watercolor, which also focuses on brush stroke.
Carloni believes art is an expressive act and a way to communicate to the world. Art is deeply personal and a way to think critically, too. Exhibiting one’s work for public appraisal is also a way to express who you are as a person, and to feel seen and heard, she says.
“Art is language,” said Carloni. “You’re saying something every time you paint a picture. You are expressing yourself, putting yourself out there, and that builds confidence, too.”
She also thinks art can be healing. As a former art therapist, she says the “zen” of painting is real and can make participants feel better.
“It’s therapeutic and expressive as you tell a story about yourself, and the world around you.”
In addition to teaching adults, Carloni has taught art for students in elementary through high school, and also teaches a class at the Franklin Public Library. This fall she will be teaching a scripture-based art class at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Norfolk.
In 2007, Carloni was honored as the Elementary Art Teacher of the Year in Massachusetts.
She says the Senior Center’s first art exhibition was a success because it brought the community together while shining a light on the town’s talented seniors. Art, after all, has no age limits.
“I would love to do this every year,” Carloni said. “The artists see their work on the wall and think, ‘Look at what I did. I learned a lot.’ And they see what someone else did and maybe they want to try that technique too. It’s all a learning experience, and that’s a good thing, because you’re never too old to learn and grow.”
For more information about the Norfolk Senior Center and its art classes, visit the Council on Aging page on the town’s website: https://norfolk.ma.us.
Follow Sharon Carloni on Facebook (Sharon Carloni art) to see her own artwork, as well as the artwork of her students.