The Activities room has become one of the most active and exciting places I’ve seen in a long time. The residents love it.

Today was my meditation class (more later), but it was also art on the walls day.

Artist Nichole Kline was working on her wall mural in the Mansion Activity Room, which is about halfway done. Bonnie tells me that the residents come in all day to look at it and study it.

That’s a pretty great compliment for any artist to hear.

Nichole says she has a lot of work to do. She’s adding a green street on the left and two colorful air balloons in the sky on the right. (Balloon Festivals are big around here.)

Nichole has volunteered her time for this work; the Mansion could never have afforded to pay for a mural of this quality.

I see a spiritual element in the mural, a passage into the light; Nichole said she didn’t think about it; she followed her instincts, as artists do.

The Mansion is fortunate to be getting this first-class outpouring of art.

Cambridge Artist Matt Chimian’s four paintings went up on the wall across from Nichole’s mural; they have transformed the look and feeling of the Activity Room.

Three of the four paintings were painted on or near the Mansion itself.

I insisted on paying Matt $100 for each painting (he wouldn’t take any money for the small one, which was painted on the Mansion porch.)

Two more pastel works are coming from artist Jackie Thorne of Glens Falls, N.Y.

Matt’s work is beautiful and simple, and evocative. The residents all speak of it familiarly and emotionally. They say it evokes their lives and stories.

Jackie’s work is soft, beautiful, and calming.

That’s a pretty neat compliment also.

I am impressed by Nichole and her work. She has a lot of plans and ambitions for her art, and I have this feeling she is going to achieve them all. The mural has a lot of punch.

She has some neat ideas for bringing art and painting to the community.

I brought Nichole some flowers from my garden to congratulate her on the mural so far.

 

(Flowers from my garden.)

As Paryese and Bonnie hoped, the Manson Activities Room is becoming an energetic and intensely active gathering spot for the residents.

It’s no longer a place for people to sit and watch TV all day; something is always going on. And they are just getting started. An IT specialist is coming to the Mansion to set up the tablets we got for the Media Wall.

Thanks for your support of the Mansion.

Today we ordered magnetic stands so they can take their art outside, more wall hangings, sneakers for Peggie, coloring books, oversized rubber bowling balls and pins for games, razor blades for the men,  and four sets of books for reading.