Press ReleaseUnited Church Homes, The Harmar Place Community, and The Parkersburg Art Center are teaming up to feature the skilled nursing community’s resident art in an exhibit on Saturday, April 2, 2022.
The exhibit will highlight artwork created entirely by residents through Opening Minds Through Art (OMA), a program that provides opportunities for creative self-expression and social engagement for individuals with dementia or other forms of neurocognitive disorders.
“Our residents are honored their work will be featured at the art center. We believe this will be a positive experience for them and their families and shine a light on the great work we are doing to enrich the lives of older adults,” said Chaplain Patricia Vargas, who serves The Harmar Place Community and facilitates the OMA program.
The Harmar Place Community OMA program offers residents ongoing painting classes where their artwork is displayed in an art show on campus twice yearly. This will be the first show held at The Parkersburg Art Center.
“We understand the benefits of art-making as a means of building relationships, therapy, and non-verbal expression,” said Jessie Siefert, managing director of The Parkersburg Art Center. “One of our goals is to enhance the lives of those living in our area. The goals of OMA align well with ours.”
The exhibit will begin on Saturday, April 2 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Reception Gallery and will remain on display through April 16. The Parkersburg Art Center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 725 Market Street in Parkersburg.
United Church Homes is the 8th largest provider of managed senior living and affordable housing and 21st largest multi-site, nonprofit senior living organization in the U.S. according to the 2021 LeadingAge Ziegler 200 ranking, serving more than 5500 residents in its owned and managed communities.