A Clay Studio on wheels brings creativity to Philly seniors

On a Thursday in Pennypack a group of older adults gathered in the InnovAge senior center and began pressing their hands into clay rolling it around painting it and chatting with neighbors about their creations For a population that often experiences loneliness and higher levels of isolation the creative and communal activity is more than welcome I love coming to this senior center here stated Patrick Curran a -year-old retiree from East Germantown Just to keep operational And concerning the Claymobile that s one of the better pursuits that the center has as they go The ceramics class that the seniors are taking part in is part of the Clay Studio s Claymobile an educational campaign that brings ceramic-making to sites across Philadelphia la designated vans aka Claymobiles that s been running for over three decades Ceramics from Patrick Curran made through the Claymobile scheme Julia Binswanger Billy Penn When Billy Penn visited two Clay Studio teachers were guiding the InnovAge group to mold and paint ceramic pumpkins For Curran working with clay is not only a way to get creative it s also a way to keep operational that doesn t put too much strain on his body I m so glad I can still move and get around he mentioned I ve had four surgeries and I m going on my fifth My first surgery was an open-heart surgery My second surgery was a hiatal hernia My third surgery was a stent in the neck and then my fourth was for a broken hand Despite all of this Curran is inevitably excited for the Claymobile s monthly visits to InnovAge Although he had never worked with clay before he s uncovered a passion for it During the visit he revealed off a napkin holder and blue mug that he created in previous classes I love making stuff he announced It makes me happy The Claymobile activity visits a variety of sites around the greater Philadelphia area including schools juvenile centers libraries and older adult centers like InnovAge We work with a lot of arthritic participants noted Tessa Kennamer the Clay Studio s district engagement manager So figuring out projects that will allow them to still express themselves creatively find really tangible and fruitful procedures for them to organize their day and make something beautiful while still having that barrier is something really special about the scheme A lot of what you re getting from ceramics arts campaign is both the tactile technique-building and creative expression she added They re getting to work with their hands work on their motor skills The idea that clay has healing properties is one that the Clay Studio is at present championing The studio is hosting an exhibition called Clay as Care all about the therapeutic and tactile nature of ceramic making that runs through December The InnovAge center is not a nursing home but provides older Philadelphians with care from doctors nurses and physical and occupational therapists A large number of of InnovAge s seniors come in for meals They also have recreational events like the ceramics class Malika Turner a recreation specialist at InnovAge has noticed the positive effects that the Claymobile venture has had on the adults at the center Essentially our goal is to keep the participants and our seniors out of the nursing home Turner mentioned Our participants start at age ranging all the way up I think our oldest participant is Selected of them may have had a stroke Selected of them have dementia So working with the clay is really good therapy for their hands It s a really good thing Not only that it s crafty for them so they really enjoy it The Claymobile operation comes to the InnovAge center about once a month Two Clay Studio teachers guide the participants to make a specific craft then they take it back to the studio fire it in the kiln and bring their creations back for the next lessons There s a lot of obstructions to entry to getting clay and having a place to fire it and having a place to process it but the actual medium itself is very intuitive Kennamer reported The act of pushing and pressing and molding requires focus and concentration Multiple at the center give their ceramics as gifts to family and grandchildren Regina Gladyspeed who had just finished painting her pumpkin was making plans to share the autumn-colored ceramic mug she had gotten back from the kiln The participants at InnovAge were creating clay pumpkins Julia Binswanger Billy Penn I was gonna show it off to my daughter because she swears I can t do this stuff Gladyspeed revealed I did this by myself I m gonna show her this when I go up there for Thanksgiving because it s so nice And then when I get the pumpkin back I m gonna take that as a gift The Claymobile initiative has gotten numerous of its participants curious about ceramics and claymaking In recent months the group went on a trip to tour the Clay Studio itself It was a really nice trip Turner announced They got to see other artists working on their work and they got to see where the Claymobile fires their work so they got to see the process Multiple participants determined this trip both fun and inspiring I saw so multiple beautiful beautiful things on the wall stated Rosa Marrero an -year-old from Puerto Rico who has settled in Philly I learned how beauty comes together in a way It s really really amazing because you don t see that every day You buy a lot of things but you never know how they get there Marrero commented she needed to take home all the ceramics she saw but settled on buying a small vase There s an enthusiasm to be together to teach each other Kennamer revealed To demonstrate one skill and share it I think is really valuable for anybody but particularly for people who don t have that built into their day through a job or through school For Marrero a lifelong creative who woodworks in her spare time the Claymobile class is the perfect outlet It s the touch in my hands she mentioned I m producing something I m making something for myself Once it s touched by my hands she added it s in my heart The post A Clay Studio on wheels brings creativity to Philly seniors appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY