Elaine Schecter displayed two paintings at Atria Cutter Mill’s showcase.
Hannah Resnick
Residents and community members browsed colorful paintings displayed in Atria Cutter Mill’s common area on Thursday, Sept. 25. A hyperrealistic painting of a woman holding a baby, a still life of wine bottles, a collage of a deer hunt and a circular portrait with thick brushstrokes were among the pieces displayed, forming a mosaic of styles without one focal point.
The featured artists? The residents themselves.
The senior living community hosted an art show, showcasing pieces its residents created throughout their lives. The exhibit invited friends, family and others from the Great Neck area to view the work and ask the artists questions.
“We got all of our residents together and asked them if we could pull some of their personal artwork from their collections that they display in their rooms because they’re so beautiful,” said Mandy Ramzan, executive director of Atria Cutter Mill. “I just wanted the community and our family and friends to be able to see how talented our residents are.”
Alyce Drabkin, one of the featured artists, said seniors greatly value their possessions, especially personal belongings like artwork.
“They’re like children. Each child has their own identity – the yin and the yang – as the paintings do,” Drabkin said. “Older people want to hold their possessions very tight, no matter what they are.”
The artists themselves also browsed each other’s pieces, discussing their interpretations and critiques.
“I love to see what other people’s ideas are. Any art that makes you think is a beautiful thing to look at,” said Lorraine Arroll, a featured artist. “Seeing art with friends is interesting because everyone interprets each piece differently. Sometimes they see their own story in it, or they can make up their own story in their head.”
Arroll created her displayed work, a grayscale painting of vases and bottles, throughout sessions at an art studio “years ago,” she said.
Drabkin, 97, was the exhibit’s oldest artist. She had two paintings on display, including Movin’ On, which shows two seniors walking in a gray landscape from behind. She created the piece several decades ago while living with her husband in The Bronx, but said it has new relevance to her own life.
“Little did I know I would become old,” she said. “You watch your abilities fade and your friendships disintegrate, but you can’t allow that to take away your spirit.”
The ambiguous background symbolizes the duo of seniors going toward the future, she said.
“I didn’t know where they’re going. They don’t know where they’re going. That’s the future – what little future, what vast future – you don’t know.”
Elaine Schecter, a featured artist, echoed Drabkin’s comparison of paintings to children.
“My paintings felt like children,” she said. “I didn’t want to sell them. People asked. Two thousand dollars is nice, but what do you do when you don’t have your child anymore?”
Schecter displayed two large portraits that she created while working at the Art Students League of New York several years ago. She said she participated in the exhibit because many of her fellow residents were.
“I enjoy being with them. I’m not a competitive person. I compete with myself,” she said.
