 |
 |
|
   
|
A New View of GRACE They call me the intern, which is strange. The only link I have with the term is some goofy fellow in E.R. (the TV show). My name is Tom. I’m from Ireland, and having heard of GRACE through the grapevine, wrote to Don Sunseri and one thing led to the next, and here I am doing a three-month “internship” with the GRACE program. The reason I am here is because of my own work practice at home in Ireland, and the need for a “role model” or a working formula from which to borrow. When something is in your backyard it is so easy to take it for granted, and from my looking around my own small island, GRACE is a wonderful breath of healthy fresh air. Upon returning to Ireland, I am undertaking a four-month project entitled “Inclusion/Exclusion” based in a suburban area with some of the social problems of the late 20th century (unfortunately, Ireland is no longer the land of donkeys and women in black shawls.) The project will involve working with a group of people with special needs in sheltered housing settings, and a group of single mothers in a “back to education” program. The aim is to work with both groups and develop a piece of art work to assist them in socializing. Like many other places, there is a great fear of those who are different. This fear, like most fear, is based on ignorance, and it would be my hope to lessen the amount of ignorance in order that those who are “different” can be accepted for who they are within a community context. From what I’ve seen of GRACE and the work it does, if nothing else, it decimates ignorance. I have worked with many different target groups in the past, and yet I recently had my own rude awakening. It is all too easy, particularly when someone has communication difficulties, to “place words in their mouths” - and we can apply it to creative expression also. What put me in my place was watching the GRACE approach, which, as far as I can understand, is treating everyone as fellow artists, giving advice and assistance, if required, perhaps motivating if one is in a creative slump or cul-de-sac (yet in the context of artists working together). I think what I’m bringing it down to is respect, for people as they are, and respect for everyone’s own creative voice, without judgment. “Do it your own way”, I think is tattooed on Don Sunseri’s forearm under a love heart. In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve met so many wonderful and inspiring artists, it seems unfair to pick one or two for fear of excluding or creating a hierarchy. Yet in the space I have for this article, I am forced to be selective. Within the Greensboro Nursing Home are a wonderful group of artists. Ellen, with whom I have spent the most time, has, as an artist, provided me with a mountain of inspiration. Her dedication, focus and adaptability leaves me awestruck. Having seen a range of Ellen’s work over the years, I was greatly impressed by her sculpture, as well as her drawing and painting. This earlier work has a tight edge with a very sharp eye for detail. One can tell, here is the heart of a perfectionist. Unfortunately, Ellen has become less able as time goes on, and this has affected her manual dexterity. For many others this would be a valid excuse to pack up brushes, but not for Ellen. Faced with the fact that she could no longer continue along the lines she was pursuing, she observed a colleague painting in a more abstract form. Impressed with the effect of his work, she decided to try it herself. Using mainly an abstract style now, Ellen is exploring the limitations of her physical condition and pushing it as far as she can in order to express herself. Ellen is an inspiration to all artists, and she is but one of a multitude. I could go on for pages about the various artists I have met, but I will be taking part of them all home with me in December. I will say again how lucky Vermont is to have the GRACE program, and one would hope that it will grow and develop. I look forward to keeping up with the growth and changes in the program now that contact has been made. - Tom Meskell
|
|
Send this page to a friend
hosted by VEAT.NET