League

ART & SOCIETY
Students of Lizabeth Buckley’s creative reminiscence
class and their artwork.
to disassociate an image from its meaning,
color, and form.
Personally, it’s quite a thrill to introduce
my group to some art history. We discuss the
emotions that art brings forth. For example,
I showed them Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl
Earring—some are absolutely mesmerized by
that portrait. One woman just kept tracing
the face with her fingers, as if she wanted to
internalize that beauty.
People Die …
I have to keep in mind that not all sessions
yield inspiring interactions. From time-totime,
the group just isn’t going to jive or the
interest level isn’t there.
A difficult hurdle is getting over people
dying. Of course, you know going in that
most of these people are in the final phase
of life … but it is still a terrible jolt when
someone you’ve grown deeply fond of is no
longer there.
Some Things Happen That Are Hard to
Witness …
Two of my folks were extremely attached to
each other: Joe and Annie. He had a patrician
bearing—literate, well-spoken, deeply
thoughtful. I don’t think he made it to high
school. Grew up poor, on the Lower East
Side. I mistook him for a white-collar type,
though he worked for the post office all his
life.
Annie was just pretty nasty-looking, no
other way to say it. Her hair stuck out all
over, like her teeth did. She was like a kind
little witch. They were absolutely inseparable.
They sat by each other. He looked out for
her, totally devoted. He told me repeatedly
how beautiful she was.
After I came back from a two-week
break, they were both gone. Annie’s family
moved her to another facility, and Joe just
died after that. Love does NOT belong
only to the young. I cried my eyes out over
that one.
Looking Forward to the
“Meet Me at MoMA” Program …
The Museum of Modern Art is internationally
recognized for its commitment to
programs for hard-to-reach groups, including
those consisting of people with mental
health issues, the blind and partially sighted,
and individuals with dementia. The program
began in 2006 for individuals with dementia
and their caregivers. Its aim is to use art to
enhance the quality of life of the participants
by stimulating their minds and providing
opportunities for communication, personal
growth, and social engagement. The director
of the assisted living facility where I work
wants to have my group participate in this
program.
I sat in on one of these sessions during
my training. It’s simply marvelous. MoMA
staff seats the group in front of various
paintings and conducts question-and-answer
sessions. The group’s insights are spot-on.
For example, one group was seated in front
of Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World and a
participant commented that Christina’s rear
end was too big for her body. The museum
leader remarked that the comment was
indeed valid: Wyeth himself said that he had
drawn Christina from sketches of varying
perspectives and was not quite 100 percent
on board with the results.
One more thing: I’ve developed private
discounted classes for the nurses working in
hospitals and homes, as a way to say “thanks”
for their invaluable work. It’s all about restoring
energy and optimism.
www.lizbuckleyart.com
FALL 2015 31