Over the past year, Ruth’s Table and its sister program Creative Spark, a Front Porch Community Services program, have partnered with over 25 organizations to inspire creativity through the Image of Self project. The Image of Self exhibition features a selection of the resulting works, “highlighting the diversity of our elder communities. Whether abstract, symbolic, or intimately detailed, each artwork in the exhibition reveals the artist’s identity, individuality, and story, and aims to celebrate our authentic self as the hero in our own story,” the exhibition website explains.

“What is special about this project, and art in general, is that it has the power to bring together people and communities who would not get connected otherwise,” says Margarita Mukhsinova, associate director of Ruth’s Table. “Individuals who are not a part of the same immediate community or have diverse backgrounds or speak different languages, but we all come together as a group through a shared creative experience.”

Along with the Image of Self exhibit, other creative projects sponsored by Ruth’s Table and Creative Spark through the year have been implemented in a variety of different settings, including art kits delivery, online and phone-based workshops, onsite classes at Ruth’s Table, parallel programming implemented in partner communities, as well as teacher and staff training through Creative Spark. All projects draw on the theme of Creative Spark curriculum, which allows for a thematic commonality, while at the same time championing different forms of expressions across partners, from collage, to painting, to drawing, to free writing and poetry.

“Ruth’s Table and Creative Spark curriculum places access at the heart of its agenda,” says Margarita. “We work with teaching artists to make sure our curriculum includes multiple adaptations for the diverse needs of our communities, including dementia-friendly adaptations, suggestions on how these creative assignments can be infused in care relationships and done in groups, and more.”

The training “gave me new ideas of how to connect to the many personalities of our residents,” says Aliya, an Activities Coordinator. “I had a 100 year old who said she didn’t think highly of herself, but then we started talking about ‘words’ – she was a librarian – and her faith, and Aha! There she is!”

“Creative projects have helped me to feel that I belonged to something, making me feel secure,” says participant Margie Ramirez.

To learn more about upcoming programs, exhibitions, or resources from Ruth’s Table or Creative Spark, please visit their websites:

https://www.ruthstable.org/

https://covia.org/programs/creative-spark/

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Ruth’s Table, part of Covia’s Community Services, is an arts nonprofit committed to increasing access to creative opportunities for older adults and adults with disabilities located at Bethany Center Senior Housing, a Covia Affordable Community. Through the Enduring Inspiration initiative Ruth’s Table is encouraging individuals sheltering in place to express themselves through creative projects with the help of creative care kits, support from teaching artists, and virtual classes. The culmination of the project is the Enduring Inspiration exhibition, a gallery show that will feature submitted art pieces created during this time.

Ruth’s Table Director Jessica McCracken notes, “Knowing that people were going to have to stay at home for a long duration of time, our first thought was around the risks associated with social isolation. Ruth’s Table programming has proven that the arts are an incredible tool for bringing people together. Enduring Inspiration was designed to bring a sense of hope and offer a way to process the magnitude of this experience.”

One way that this has manifested is with creative care kits, which include art-making activities (paired with supplies) that participants can use at home. Ruth’s Table has partnered with Covia Creative Spark to create Creative Spark worksheets, which are fun prompts intended to spark inspiration. Worksheets vary greatly, from turning a provided squiggle into a drawing to curating a personal art collection. An example of the worksheets can be found here.

Beyond the Creative Spark worksheet kits, Ruth’s Table has also partnered with Social Justice Sewing Academy (SJSW), which empowers underprivileged youth through sewing and quilting, to create an intergenerational quilt. Ruth’s Table and SJSA have created quilt making kits that guide recipients through creating a quilt block that will be incorporated into a full quilt. This quilt will be on display as part of the Enduring Inspiration exhibit. If you are interested in creating a quilt block as part of the project, please reach out to contact@ruthstable.org.

Ruth’s Table is also supporting community creativity through individual or group phone calls as well as virtual classes. Group or individual support calls allow teaching artists to provide assistance and encouragement to those working on the creative care kits and Creative Spark worksheets. Virtual classes are also available for senior communities as a way to keep connected and engaged while we stay at home.

Set to take place later this year, the Enduring Inspiration exhibit is an invitation to us all to explore creative projects at home and share our work with others. Ruth’s Table is encouraging everyone to submit any creative projects of choice, from traditional art pieces like paintings and sculpture to other creative endeavors like recipes, musical pieces, and more.

Everyone and anyone is invited to submit their creative project for consideration and submissions are open now through August 1^st. The submission process is easy and consists of a short write-up about the project, a photo of the project if applicable, and a short, 2 to 3 sentence bio. The full submission guidelines are available on Ruth’s Table’s website. To submit, please reach out to Ruth’s Table at contact@ruthstable.org or 415.505.3269.

If you are working on a creative project during this time, also consider sharing photos and your process on social media using the hashtag #RTmakes. We’re excited to see what you create and how you are utilizing creativity to stay connected.

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