ART at Kendal at Granville

If you are reading this on your computer, you no doubt have some familiarity with the vagaries of computes such as crashes and frozen screens. When I discovered that the subject of Reed Browning’s most recent blog was the same as mine, I felt as though my computer had frozen and then crashed.  After reading what he wrote I have decided to post my blog with this preface.  I believe that Reed’s comments serve to back up the premise that led to my decision to write about art.  I also believe that my blog focuses on how we arrived at the events about which he has written.

Because of the extent to which ART permeates our lives here at Kendal at Granville I often think  the word should be printed in capital letters followed by exclamation points.  It all began with Jane Heller, an artist who was one of the four persons vitally involved in bringing Kendal at Granville into being.  Ever since then she has given us most generously the benefits of her talents as an artist.  It continued when the building that emerged from those dreams included an Art Studio and an Art Gallery. Then it happened as in the film, Dream Field, “If you build it, they will come.”  Artists and art enthusiasts began to come and they are still coming.

Thus far eighty-five of them have come.  This includes fifty-seven artists who create art and forty-six art enthusiasts who share items from their personal art collections   The fact that some may be counted as both artists and art enthusiasts accounts for the apparent discrepancy as to the total number who have come.

 Our artists include sixteen painters, thirty-one fiber artists, and eleven photographers. Thirty-four persons have provided items for our display cabinet and eighteen have made items available for the art gallery.   This count doesn't include all of our residents who come to our art opening receptions nor the people who create small artistic vignettes on the shelves just outside the doors to their apartments or hang art on the wall outside their apartments. 

In addition to those who came as artists two persons have developed their latent abilities to paint by taking advantage of the Art Studio and the willingness of a resident artist to teach. A painting activity in assisted living uncovered the hidden ability of another resident. Currently one of our residents, in her 90’s, is learning to draw portraits.  So not only do they come as artists but they become artists after they arrive.
Hedda von Goeben, one of our most ardent artists and art enthusiasts has enrolled regularly in art classes at Denison University with the goal of working as a ceramist.  Once she finished the course, Denison gave her the opportunity to teach ceramics to fellow residents. Eight residents have been enthusiastic participants in her classes and have demonstrated their artistic bent by producing a variety of ceramic objects which have been shown in our display cabinet.

 For the first four years Jane Heller was the curator for the Art Gallery arranging for a new art show every month featuring area artists..  With the passage of time it became evident that there was a need for others to help with the work of maintaining the gallery.  Thus in 2009 the Gallery Committee came into being.   More in my next blog about the work of this committee