The Lieberman Tapestry

For several years, Lieberman Center has been collecting for and working on a community tapestry. Requests have gone out for clothing, scrap jewelry, stuffed animals, ephemera, and other artifacts.

Finally this year, with the energy and hard work of Dr. Yemonja Smalls it was completed and is now on display in the community room on the first floor. It is a spectacular work representing many of the residents who live here and a tribute to the hard work of the Life Enrichment Team whose combined efforts brought this together including: Andrea, Katharine, Wanda, Leslie, and Alma and other staff helpers.

Dr. Smalls has been an intern at Lieberman for many months in the Art Therapy Department. She holds her doctorate in Psychology but wants to use the arts (she is also an amazing artist) as the platform for her mental health work so she returned to school to earn her Masters Degree in Art Therapy.

Here is her art web site: www.YemonjaSmalls.com 

Here is her line of clothing site: www.ImJustHuman.com

Dr. Smalls also did face painting at the Spring Carnival and it was a tremendous success. Here is a photo of her at the Spring Carnival. Each resident and/or family face painting was a floral work of art with careful attention to color and detail.

Here is the tapestry completion invitation and celebration announcement:

This is what the finished tapestry looks like:

These are some of the shirts and "tsotskies" Gregory and I donated to the project:


Here is one of the Bears woven into the tapestry:

Here is another Bear woven into the tapestry:

This round section was made up of one of Gregory's favorite flannel shirt in red and green:

This is what Gregory's shirt looked like as it was cut into strips and the beginning of its being woven into the circle:

Friday was Yemonja's last day at Lieberman. Only fitting that it was also the day of the tapestry unveiling and celebration. Dr. Yemonja Smalls leaves a bit of herself and a great legacy behind at Lieberman. She will be missed by many residents, family, and staff members. Go you successfully Yemonja and bring your love and talents to those you come to know and support, your gifts are many!

Batia's Art Show Opening April 19, 2015

Bhatia, Gregory's table mate at Lieberman Center had an art show opening last Sunday. The pieces pictured here were done by her some 50 years ago. They are quite wonderful. They reflect Batia's still present intelligence, dry humor, and insight into all things. I have come to love this woman and her daughters who visit regularly. They are all apart of my new Liberman Family!

Painting Class II

Today Gregory painted. For the second time at Lieberman. When I approached him early morning while he was watching TV in one of the wings, he was exited to see me. I asked, "Do you want to paint today?" He perked up even more and started babbling somewhere between "Yes indeed!" and "Wonderful!" If you were standing there you may not have heard what I did but Gregory's enthusiasm definitely came through.

We went down to the art room on the second floor and were greeted by Katharine who asked, "Do you want to paint today." Again Gregory definitely indicated that he did!

We got a paint shirt onto him (not easy) and laid out the glossy paper in the tray with the tubes of paint in a row above. Then the slow, tedious, wondering part began. Will this work? Will Gregory get involved again? Will he remember how to do this? Will he be successful at pushing the paint around? Will he have a second in a row success?

A glob of paint was squeezed onto the center of the paper but Gregory did nothing. We placed a hand onto the paper with the instruction, "OK, paint!" Nothing. Katharine moved his hand around as a way of stimulating Gregory's thinking/processing. Nothing. I took his hand and used his fingers to tap, tap, tap through the paint. Nothing.

At one point Gregory leaned forward, head down, eyes closed and sat still. Katharine and I waited. After a short while we began our encouraging again. We put his hand onto the paint and moved the hand in circles, up and down, tap tap tap. Gregory joined in a little but one could not say Gregory was painting.

It was difficult to keep Gregory's posture correct, to have him focus on the paint and paper, to help him keep his eyes open, to move his fingers and/or hands.

Katharine though that some peppy music might help so she put some Latin sounding, rhythmic music on the CD player. It did seem to help and Gregory was a little more alert and a little bit more focused.

We were aware that once Gregory's hand was in or over the glob of paint, the paint disappeared from view and most likely from awareness. We played with moving the tray closer, and further, and changed the angle. It all helped: music, tray movement, placing his hand and/or fingers in a way that he could see the paint beside it rather than covering it.

Gravity helped a little but you could tell that Gregory was getting more involved. Several times during his stopped inertia, we asked, "Do you want to paint?" and he answered either "Yes" or "I am painting."

It was interesting to see Katharine process her moves with Gregory. It was interesting to see how much effort Gregory was putting into getting his arms and hands to move and processing what he was supposed to be doing with this colorful blob of paint on this piece of white paper (Description is mine. Gregory was most likely blank but now and then something would click in.)

One move that was fun and seemed to help Gregory was Katherine taking one hand and me taking Gregory's other and in grand strokes moving his through the paint using large gross motor skills in time to the Latin rhythms. Gregory seemed to enjoy this and it facilitated his processing so he could continue briefly when we let go of his hands.

It took longer to get him started this time but we spent more time in the art room and he definitely had a good time. All three of us were pleased.

A staff photographer at Lieberman documents the various events. The photographs are nicely mounted on a poster and displayed on the floor so the residents can see them.

The photos on the top of this poster were from Gregory's art show. A number of residents from the other floors requested their photo be taken with Gregory (they all love him) and the group shot shows the pride and love his floor mates have for him.

The faces have been blurred for private purposes but you should still be able to get the idea of what a wonderful event this was for Gregory and for all of the attendees. Not pictured was the lovely cheese, fruit, and cracker platters that Lieberman provided.

An Art Show For Gregory

This is a low key invitation. Gregory may or may not do well with a large number of people but it is worth the try!

He has been on new meds so hopefully he will not sleep through the events:) 

The times are tight to make it easier for him.  

• • • 

Would love for you to join us but this disclaimer also gives you permission to pass without question! Please R.S.V.P. by e-mail, A.S.A.P., if you will join us.

Thanks, Michael & Gregory

Gregory will be having an art show at 

The Lieberman Center

9700 Gross Point Road

Skokie, Illinois

featuring over 26 of his previously seen pieces

plus lots of his newer “minis”

ON

Thursday December 4, 2014

2:00 - 3:00 

6:000 - 6:30

Refreshments will be served!

A Surprise Gift

Someone left this on Gregory's dresser. Mystery! Pretty good likeness!

Studies in Color & Form: Revisited

We are Looking forward to Gregory’s art show, Studies in Color & Form, on Thursday, December 4th at 2:00 at the Lieberman Center, 9700 Gross Point Road, Skokie, Illinois in the first floor lobby. The show will be up for approximately one month.

The 2:00 reception is mainly for residents and staff of the center although family and friends may attend. Refreshments will be served.

A second, short reception will take place from 6-6:30 so family and friends who work can attend. Please let Michael know if you plan on attending this second reception: 

mahwww@me.com

Approximately 25 pieces of art will be in the show and we have reprinted the souvenir take home post card which was used at his show at Lincolnwood Town Center Gallery in 2012. Be sure to get one!

All pieces on display are for sale at $50.00 each with the proceeds going to The Lieberman Center Fifth Floor Memory Care Facility. In addition there will be for sale a collection of Gregory's 2" x 3" canvas mounted, miniature paintings at $10.00 each.

The link below will take you to photographs of Gregory’s show at Lincolnwood Town Hall Gallery which took place in 2012. The photos include the catalogue, the hanging of the show, and the opening party. 

Amazing how “together” Gregory still was a short two years ago!

CLICK HERE FOR: Gregory's 2012 Art Show

Michael

Between Fire/Smoke

Jane Fulton Alt's recently released book of photographs is based on a "burn" which took place on the prairie at the Ragdale Foundation, an artist retreat on Howard Van Doren Shaw's estate in Lake Forest, Illinois. 

Between Smoke/Fire: The Burn

(A Poem for Jane Fulton Alt)

Photographs 

Majestically moving and meditative. 

A natural phenomenon becoming the riddle of life and death.

Burn the old to prevent the future. Burn the old to insure the future.

Destroy. Devastate. Extinguish. Cleanse. Stimulate. Renew. Reflect.

Bringing with it mixed tears of joy and sadness, celebration and loss.

Holding close still.

Remembering.

Prairie.

You.

Me.

Jane's "Between Fire/Smoke" in video
To purchase "Between Fire/Smoke"
Jane's Web Site

Art from The Dementia Plague

From the article The Dementia Plague

By Stephen S. Hall. 

In MIT Technology Review. Vol. 115 No.6
(Thanks to Joan & Robert for sharing this article.)

ABOUT THE ART WORK: When he learned in 1995 that he had Alzheimer's disease, WIlliam Utermohlen, an American artist living in London, immediately began work on an ambitious series of self-portraits. The artist pursued this project over an eight year period, adapting his style to the growing limitations of his perception and motor skills and creating images that powerfully documented his experience of his illness. The resulting body of work serves as a unique artistic, medical, and personal record of one man's struggle with dementia. Mr. Utermohlen died in 2007.

• • •

1995 Blue Skies - The first self-portrait completed after the artist's diagnosis shows a man whose world has become untethered. The artist clings to a table as if to anchor himself within a flattened, featureless space.

1996 Self-Portrait (Yellow and Green)

1996 Self-Portrait (Red)

1997 Self-Portrait (with Saw)
The artist learned that his doctors would be unable to definitively diagnose his disease until autopsy. The saw depicted here is an open allusion to this fact.

1998 Self-Portrait (with Easel)

1999 Erased Self-Portrait

2000 Head