Keeping Up with Nancy

[Nancy Bruning]

So much has happened since my last post. I've been awarded two artist residencies from LMCC--in their Su-Casa program, working with seniors. The first, in 2016, I conducted workshops in two Senior Centers, one in Washington Heights, and the other in Harlem. These were called "Stretch & Sketch" and incorporated gentle stretching movements with simple sketches of the human body, using each other as models. These culminated in exhibits and receptions included in the Uptown Art Stroll for that year. This year, my residency is also in Harlem, but the title is "Save our Stories: Writing from Life." The goal is to encourage Harlem seniors to express themselves in writing, documenting and exploring their past, present, and what they envision for the future. For this program, I was inspired by the African saying, "Every time an old person dies, it's as if a library has burned down." So, I hope to save their stories before it's too late. This, too, will have a public event where seniors read their work out loud to the the public, with a grand finale of the audience participating in a quick, fun writing project of their own. I started working with seniors about 5 years ago, providing guided walks and Yoga classes outdoors in northern Manhattan Parks, enriching their social lives as well as their environments with group forays into nature.