Creativity In Old Age

Next week I will be exhibiting a textile piece of work with "my ladies" as part of the Bealtaine Festival. I call them "my ladies" because I am so fond of them all. They are a group of women who create with me every Tuesday morning in a day care centre for the elderly. Not one of them is elderly mind you. Their ages span from about early sixties to mid eighties. However they are all well able to take care of themselves.  I find such joy and comfort working with them. I don't know if I could call it work as that conjures up images of something difficult.  This is by no means difficult.  We have been together since February 2011. It wasn't meant to last longer than a year, funding! However I pleaded to stay (maybe begged a little) and we are still going. I started our first year introducing them all to different mediums and different ways to find inspiration, poetry, music, personal life, nature. We went to galleries to see how other artist did it.  However before the end of the first year I hit on their passion...embroidery. We tried a few different things, all quite prescribed, following patterns. My aim is to continually push them and to show them their own talent and ability. The piece that we are displaying is a group project, I set the agenda but a lot of it came from them and it is mostly made by their hands with their creativity and ideas.  At the beginning of it, I think a few of them thought I was a little mad and couldn't see where it was going. However we are all quite proud of what we did. It has yet to be framed and I am still up late at the kitchen table finishing a few bits. But 'It's Marvelous' to quote one of them. If this piece of material could talk it would entertain a crowd. So many laughs and stories got stitched along into it. Chocolate bickies and drops of tea were intercepted. But the overwhelming quality that is hidden in this piece of art is love. Love from me to 'My Ladies' love for each other and love for our embroidery that ties us all together. I don't know what I would do without my Tuesday mornings. I sit there and absorb the wisdom and joy and dream about our next project or the next exhibition we will go to. As summer approaches and the centre will be closing I wonder would it be over stepping the mark to invite them out to my house each week for tea!  I love art and I love my ladies and each week I have affirmed that creativity has a magic.