Broken Wings No. 5 – Kaleidoscope
3 x 3 foot Mixed Media
A collaborative work with Breton and Raybrook Assisted Living Facilities and artist Pamela Alderman
Monarchs fly low to the ground on the southerly wind to migrate to a warmer climate. They also ride thermals, a rising column of air, like a hawk. The warm thermals lift the butterflies a few thousand feet upward, where the strong upper-air currents help them to glide forward.
Amazingly, one Holland Home resident caught a rare glimpse of the butterflies’ journey. “I watched a huge swarm of butterflies just waiting for the wind.” With the next strong gust, a kaleidoscope of color flew upward.
For Broken Wings No. 5, a kaleidoscope of talent collaborated to help assisted-living residents ride the creative winds like the Monarchs. To prepare the sponge art, one resident trimmed clothes pins with a band saw, creating a special easy-to-grip stamping tool; others cut two-inch pieces of sponges to grip with the clothes pins. Meanwhile, in Breton Woods’ carpenter shop, a group of men made the frames for the Holland Home Broken Wings Collection.
As various seniors with different abilities came together for this interactive art, one resident sat silently in his wheelchair with a faraway look in his eyes—just waiting. So, I decided to engage with him by singing acapella. Our eyes locked when I began to sing the doxology, and the elderly man mouthed each familiar word in unison. In that rare moment, two creative spirits experienced redemptive love—riding a kaleidoscope of hope upward.
Contact Pamela to schedule your Interactive Event Art.
