31°
“I’m so honored to display my paintings here where I work at Waveny,” said Jacobsen, who is an art therapist. “Every day I help our residents express their emotions creatively through art, so it’s very special to show them my own love of color relationships, texture, shape and the unexpected moments that happen when the paint is on the canvas.”
“People stop and it lifts their spirits – it’s happy work,” said Gerald, a resident at Waveny Care Center. “Her paintings are what artwork should be. They’re multi-dimensional in a way that allows you to become involved with them. I see them as sunshine.”
Jacobsen says her passion for teaching Waveny’s residents about art influences her own creative expression. “I’m inspired by our residents and learn so much from them through the art we do together. It means a lot to discuss my work in a whole new way with residents who have known me for so long. Their comments and feedback make my paintings come to life. It’s as though I’ve come full circle, now getting to share with them how they inspire my imagination and inform my point of view.”
“Brenda is incredibly resident-focused, always working diligently behind the scenes, so it’s wonderful to watch her personal and professional passions for art intersect and shine,” said Lauren Elker, Director of Therapeutic Recreation.
Creative expression through visual art is one of the many powerful therapeutic modalities the non-profit organization employs throughout its continuum of elder care. Music therapy, dance therapy and interactive storytelling are also widespread within resident, patient and adult day programming. “I’m grateful to have a career where I can use my creative abilities to help others,” said Jacobsen. “My art mentors helped to draw out my own creative voice, so I enjoy empowering our residents to do the same.”
Waveny LifeCare Network is a non-profit organization that offers independent living. For more information, click here.
Click here to follow Daily Voice New Canaan and receive free news updates.
