Residency-Burnsville, Talking Suitcases- Susan Armington- 4 Hrs
Last Monday was my first day working alongside Susan Armington in Burnsville. Susan lead her workshop, Talking Suitcases, at the Ebenezer care center for aging adults. She has developed this project over much time and in many different settings dealing with a variety of age groups. I was really pleased be a part of her team after having done the project in my teaching artist class last semester.
Most of our morning was dedicated to specific planing and preparation for the whole day. Susan had already completed the first sessions last week and had taken note of important accommodations. We had to group materials for three separate sites all within the larger center. Each site had a designated time and place where the worksop would be held. Susan demonstrated how imperative it is to organize materials before sessions begin. We spent some time organizing bins and bags with wood blocks, paper, scissors, glue guns, glue sticks, and markers. Each group would go to one site.
After we were ready to start, Susan and I went to the morning workshop at 10:30 am. We used a cart to take supplies to the room and set them up before the class began. Susan introduced herself and the project. She also introduced me and my teaching artist pursuit. She walked around and showed examples of her handmade objects as she described their central stories. As a group we all brainstormed our ideas and potential stories. She also showed them the objects that they made the previous week and asked if anyone remembered who they belonged to and what stories they represented.
The members got a chance to share what they thought they might like to illustrate with their own objects and then they had time to make. One task was to start with a platform this time. Last week, Susan had them work with freeform objects that stood on their own, but this week she prompted them to try and start with a sheet of card stock that related to their stories. She asked them to consider color and textures that reminded them of the setting or scene. Once every one picked a platform, they began to add other materials. I mostly observed how Susan lead the workshop and helped hot glue pieces together. I got a chance to work one on one with a member who told her experience as a young girl at a local rollerskating park. She mentioned that there was an organ player who always played music for the skaters.
Once everyone was close to being done, Susan announced that we'd be sharing the work with each other. Her first approach was to have people guess where and what the stories entailed. It was nice to experience stories from different time periods and to witness how engaged they were with one another. The group was supportive and friendly. Overall, there was a sense of nostalgia in the room. Many of the members were happy to share their stories.
We had two more lessons that day, dealing with the same concepts. For the next two sessions, I tried to circulate the room more and get one on one time with each member. One of the biggest struggles was getting to and from each site with loaded carts. We managed to do it, but we are hoping to have more accessibility to carts next week. Another challenge that arose, was handling those who struggled to come up with ideas or felt uneasy about memory in general. Susan and the Ebenezer assistants did a good job motivating members.
As I continue this work with Susan, I'd like to find ways to be more motivational and personal. I think I was somewhat nervous being present at the workshops this week, but I know I'll find way to better serve the artists and the project with Susan's guidance. She is a great mentor and I trust that she can help me develope more interpersonal skills. I have a feeling next week will be exciting as members continue to pursue their Talking Suitcases.