By Katherine Tick
In a quiet performance hall tucked inside the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living, something extraordinary unfolded over the course of five vibrant workshops. “Art from the Heart,” a new initiative in partnership with the Jewish Studio Project, invited more than 30 residents to gather, reflect, and create—not just art, but meaning. Designed to transcend language, mobility, and even memory, the sessions centered on themes like sanctuary, justice, and community. What emerged was a tapestry of deeply personal and powerfully collective expression.
The process was intimate and rich, with each session stirring deep reflection. One participant painted a gondola from a long-ago trip to Venice—“a love boat,” he called it, laughing as he recalled champagne and songs in Italian. Another resident shared the image of a chuppah, stitched from silk, that symbolized warmth, memory, and home. The concept of justice brought forward memories of hardship, of fleeing war, of fairness extended to animals, to people of all colors. A former soldier drew his army commendation medal as a personal symbol of justice fulfilled. And through it all, residents spoke—sometimes in Russian, Hindi, Cantonese, or Spanish—about the parts of their lives that gave them hope, purpose, and identity.
Spirit, they said, was laughter, connection, and energy—the invisible thread between past and present, between ancestors and grandchildren. A Siberian cat, a cluster of balloons, a splash of yellow sunshine became expressions of joy and spiritual resilience. As the weeks went on, the walls filled with painted forests, balloon vendors, sacred altars, basketball teams, wedding canopies, and trees that whispered, “Stay awhile.” Residents shared how they belonged to world peace movements, to faith traditions, to nature, to each other. “I made a portrait of my friend down the hall,” one said. “Friendship is my belonging.”
What began as individual art pieces evolved into a collective portrait of our community—vivid, layered, and alive with meaning. These five sessions were far more than creative exercises; they were a spiritual conversation across generations, languages, and beliefs. They reminded us that in expressing what matters most—home, love, justice, joy—we create not only beauty, but deep connection. Through “Art from the Heart,” our residents gave voice to the soul of this campus.
In senior living, we often talk about care, services, and safety—and rightly so. But equally important is purpose. Voice. The ability to express who you are and what you believe, not just through conversation, but through creation. Art from the Heart reminded us that even in our later years—or perhaps especially in our later years—we long to be seen. To be heard. To contribute something meaningful. And when we do, something sacred happens: we feel whole. These works will soon hang in our synagogue, speaking without words to anyone who enters. They will tell stories of immigration, resilience, humor, memory, family, grief, and joy. They will say: “I was here. I believed. I belonged.” And they will remind every visitor that this community—our residents—are the living soul of the campus.
Art from the Heart was more than an art project. It was a celebration of spirit, stitched together with brushstrokes, poetry, and personal truth.
It was, in every sense, a masterpiece.
