I’ve written several times about the Webster Art Club, a very friendly and welcoming group of artists of all ability levels who meet once a month at the Webster Recreation Center to share ideas and support each other. If you’re a regular visitor to the Rec Center, you’re probably familiar with their work, displayed on the wall leading past the community room.
It’s obviously a pretty cool organization, but this latest project they’re working on is especially cool. Called “Senior Inspirations,” the project is a collaboration between Webster community members — specifically senior citizens — and Webster Art Club members. Each senior participant was paired with an artist, who sat down with them during “talk sessions” and asked them questions about their lives, interests, hobbies, etc. Each artist would then create an artwork based on something the senior shared. The media and style of work, along with the image itself, would be up to the artist.
The project began just a couple of weeks ago, the idea prompted by the club’s previous experience with a directed project.
Club co-president Mary Coy explained,
As a club, I noticed how inspired the club was last year as we collectively created art for the eclipse exhibit at the Rec Center center. Some folks said they “liked having a specific project to work on.” So I thought we might try something different this year and offer the theme of inspiration.
Knowing the importance of social connection as we age, I thought about inviting seniors in to chat and share their stories. … We offered two opportunities to come in and talk with club members. Each session was one hour, and each artist was given a series of questions/prompts to encourage conversation. It didn’t take much to get everyone talking! Lively chatter filled the entire hour, with some participants saying they didn’t want the session to end!
Mary added, “In this divisive time in society, this project brings people together and offers an opportunity for us to be inspired by others. Hence the name: ‘Senior Inspirations.'”
Diana Holzwasser, one of the seniors who participated, told me she enjoyed the experience very much.
“It was a very enlightening experience,” she wrote, adding,
I discussed the importance of family, my work life at Paychex as well as my interests. It was a pleasure to have this discussion with two of the members who will transform the information to a drawing. I’m very excited to see the results!
The talk sessions have been completed and the artists are busy working on their creations. The senior participants have been invited back for an unveiling and explanation of the artworks on Wednesday, November 19 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. — kind of like a reception, which will be held in that hallway where the artwork normally is displayed. Eleven artists participated in the project, so there’ll be at least 11 work of art, which will be hung alongside the club’s other works already on display.
I’ll be there. I think this is a very intriguing idea and I look forward to seeing the finished artworks and hearing the stories behind them.
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(posted 10/17/2025)
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