SHARING OUR GIFTS WITH ONE ANOTHER
When I moved to St. John’s convent in the Bronx in 2012, I was thrilled to find a course in watercolor offered by the New York City senior center. I had been enjoying classes in art while I lived at Bethany so finding a free class just up the hill made me very happy. And I’ve been enjoying these weekly classes ever since. My present teacher is a former La Guardia high school teacher, a school noted for its art training. So I have an excellent tutor.
Although the corona virus put an end to in-class art lessons, the Riverdale Senior Services Center for Ageless Living has continued to offer the class through zoom. Participants now include adults from Florida and beyond. It’s always a pleasant surprise to see on my computer what we will paint. This week we will paint a night sky.
Through the medium of zoom and the creativity of April, my art teacher, we have visited the art culture of many countries: desert treasures of western art, cave paintings in France, and Australian aborigine creations to name a few.
It has been a wonderful journey. Not only does the Riverdale center offer the class I attend, but they offer a variety of courses and lectures on opera, balance training, bridge, a tour of the Metropolitan Cloisters and many more.
The offerings from the Center have been a real blessing to many seniors with time on their hands and no place to go. I’m sure other senior centers have similar offerings. Check them out!
– Sr. Claire Dandeneau, RJM
