DiDomenico among recipients of hand-painted art from seniors at 2Life Communities

Special to The Advocate

On Thursday, November 13, more than 40 seniors from all of 2Life Communities’ campuses delivered over 60 handmade pieces of art to legislators and members of the Executive Offices at the State House. Among those who received artwork was Everett’s Senator Sal DiDomenico.

The art drop harnessed residents’ creativity and advocacy to bring seniors’ unique needs, interests and wishes to the forefront for policymakers in a way that would leave an impression. The initiative highlights that seniors and their voices deserve to be in places where decisions that impact their lives are made. Residents created individual art pieces using an acrylic painting technique called tree ring pour painting, which was chosen because tree rings represent history, strength and wisdom.

Supported by funding from MassHousing, the project is a collaboration between the art and advocacy programs at 2Life. Over 70 residents participated in a series of two-part workshops taking place at every campus. In the first session, residents created their own individual art pieces. In the second session, residents reflected on their art, on what it means to be a senior and on what they want people to know about aging. Finally, they wrote reminders for elected officials, such as:

• “Seniors are creative, active people who are engaged in their communities and want to make it a better place for people of all ages.”
• “Seniors are a valuable resource for younger generations.”

· “Seniors are an important part of communities. They bring wisdom, and they balance the good and bad of life daily.”