Intergenerational Crafting

(Click on a photo to see a larger image.)






In January our arts and crafts instructor, Gitana the Creative Diva, was awarded a grant by the Department of Cultural Affairs to continue the senior crafting program at DSCC. In order to fulfill the grant requirement of community outreach and participation, we partnered with a fourth grade class at PS 119K, The Amersfort School, to create a display for the school's annual global expo. The focus of study was Kenya, an African country which has, among its many attributes, a thriving floral export industry. Since Dorchester's seniors had already spent some time creating flowers, that was one of the elements we focused on for our crafting experience. The students came to the center and were divided into three groups. One group cut large monstera leaves, others joined the seniors to create chrysanthemums and the third group worked with center director JoAnne Biswakarma to create headbands and bracelets in needlepoint that imitated the ornate beadwork that the Maasai people of Kenya are known for. 25 fourth graders, 8 seniors, and two group facilitators equaled a very hectic atmosphere but to their credit the young students were very well behaved and took instructions well. In an hour and a half we created some beautiful flowers, leaves and needlework.

The following week we visited the students in their classroom to continue the crafting of the display elements. In their own environment the students were much more rambunctious. Nonetheless lots of work was accomplished and the display elements were completed and ready for final assembly. Here you can see a photo of the final display as it appeared on exhibit at the schoolwide global expo on June 14, 2011. All of the elements (with the exception of the photographs and mandated disclaimers) were created by the students with final assembly done by Gitana.

This exhibit is currently on display at the Dorchester Senior Citizens Center through the summer and is available for public viewing. In addition there is a permanent display of the other crafts made by the seniors that is also open to the public. Please call the center at 718-941-6700 for hours of operation and come on by. We'd love to see you.

Picnic at Wolfe's Pond, Staten Island

Our next bus trip in June is to Staten Island's Wolfe's Pond Park, a lovely quiet and shaded spot by the shore.

Dorchester Center Puts On It's Spring Colors

The warmer weather couldn't come soon enough for the members of Dorchester Senior Center and decorating for the season has been a work in progress for several weeks already. The colorful garlands and bows of the December holidays gave way to the reds of Valentine's Day in February and the greens of St. Patrick's Day in March. April has seen the room bloom in shades of orange and pink in the form of pretty paper lanterns and over-sized crysanthemum cutouts.

The Thursday afternoon crafting class created a number of projects that featured flowers and butterflies as decorative elements including two sessions in which they crafted three dimensional flowers on stems. Their instructor, Gitana the Creative Diva, used all these handmade flowers to create a unique focal decoration for the center's main activity and dining room. She crafted a window box out of foam core boards and wrapping paper and arranged the flowers inside the box so they appeared to be growing directly out of it.

In the above pictures you can see the flower making class being led by Gitana, the class members showing off their completed flowers and the window box as it appears mounted on the wall soffit. There's also a shot of the decorations taken from a distance so you can see what the whole room looks like decked out in its spring wardrobe. At right is a detail shot of the window box as it appeared before being placed on the wall.

As pretty as this room looks now, it's still not quite done. A few more flowers and some butterflies flitting about will round out the decor and really warm up the atmosphere. Spring is here!

MORE COMING SOON!

Crazy Weather

The winter of 2010-2011 proved to be more than anyone expected in terms of snow accumulation. Our first blast of winter's fury hit the northeastern corridor on December 26, 2010, dumping anywhere from 12 to 32 inches of snow depending on the area. In our neck of the woods in Brooklyn, New York, the snowfall average was about 18 inches, enough to create havoc on our day to day activities. This was promptly followed by another storm on January 11 and then another one on January 27. Our members made the best of the situation, many of them braving the elements to show up at their favorite social gathering spot. One of our neighbors built a snowman on their front lawn and Rosa Solari & Nilda Rivera took the opportunity to pose with it. Although the extreme weather did require the closing of the center for several days, we were back in operation in short order, Mother Nature notwithstanding.

Singing Swingers

Our center is fortunate enough to count a number of talented singers among our members. These vocal virtuosos have gathered together into a choral group that travels around to other senior centers and nursing homes around Brooklyn, entertaining and spreading joy to all who have the good fortune to hear them.

The group was originally formed as an activity for blind, visually challenged and sighted members of Dorchester Senior Citizens Center. Due to its increasing popularity, its membership has grown over the years and today it boasts around 30 members. Many of these singers have been members in the group for at least fifteen years. They meet once a week to rehearse.

This group is so well received by the centers that have hosted them that they are frequently requested to return for additional performances. Donations are always welcome so if you're inclined to support this wonderful activity, please contact JoAnne Biswakarma, director of Dorchester Senior Citizens Center.

Their upcoming performances are:

March 29, 2011, 10:30am - Midwood Senior Center, 4815 Avenue I, Brooklyn, NY

May 10, 2011, 10:30am - Sephardic Home for the Aged, 2266 Cropsey Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

This program is made possible with public funds from the Decentralization Program of the New York State Council on the Arts, administered in Kings County by the Brooklyn Arts Council, Inc. (BAC).

Walking Club

Every Tuesday, our intrepid walking club members explore the wilds of our own Ditmas Park neighborhood.