Colors of Connection10/12/2025 Service at Senior Home

Authored by Tristan Shi, Mrs. Fang, edited by Rien Chen

Today, we invited some very talented young artists from Mrs. Fang’s Art Studio to guide the seniors in coloring Thanksgiving greeting cards that they had prepared in advance.

We had a total of 14 seniors - the tables were packed with people and there was almost not enough space to fit everyone!

Each senior received a card and some colored pencils to color in a pumpkin. The two young artists, Christina and Isabella, hung two large drawing papers on the wall and went through each step of the pumpkin, showing the seniors how to blend colors and add shading.

Meanwhile, the other helpers and I walked around, assisting the seniors one by one. Christina and Isabella joined us too in between the different parts of the demonstration.

Since it was the first time for most of the kids to volunteer at a senior center, many of the younger ones were quite shy and unsure how to interact with the seniors at first. But after just a few minutes, they quickly got into the role and began helping the seniors with kindness and patience. The seniors really enjoyed chatting and learning from the kids.

Each pumpkin drawing had beautiful colors and looked fantastic! The seniors took their time, and some of their artwork looked just as good than the student examples.

Afterward, Emily, Elsa, and the other kids made an envelope for each senior to place their card inside.

One senior proudly showed us her finished artwork and told us she would mail it to her grandkids in New Zealand!

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Special thanks to Mrs. Fang’s Art Studio, Mrs. Fang, and Mrs. Chen for bringing such a creative and meaningful activity to our seniors.

Reflection from Mrs. Fang

Yesterday’s volunteer event at the senior home was a first-time learning and eye-opening experience for many of the children, parents, and for me as well.

Our original plan was simple — to accompany the seniors through art and let the children experience the joy of giving. But once we actually stepped into the room, we found the reality was far more complex — and not always easy. Some seniors were gentle, friendly, and eager to interact; others were stubborn, holding firmly to their own ideas; and one senior in particular was very emotional and unwilling to cooperate from the start. She repeatedly insisted that “you must have a reference when you draw — you must copy from something.” She had her own fixed way of understanding art.

This was quite different from my long-held belief that art should be open, free, and without boundaries. It made me reflect: different audiences require different approaches and purposes in art. For children, imposing restrictions is the last thing you want to do — forcing them to “draw like a photo” or using “prepackaged” teaching methods kills their imagination and creativity. But for seniors, the meaning of art is no longer about innovation or breakthrough — it becomes more of a tool for passing time, finding satisfaction, and enjoying companionship.

Through this experience, I realized that a “template-style” or “pre-drawn” approach might actually be the most suitable for senior homes. Thankfully, Mrs. Chen reminded me beforehand to prepare line drawings so the seniors could simply color them in — otherwise, it would have been even harder to manage on site. In the future, for similar events, we can prepare the compositions and outlines in advance, provide plenty of reference images and pre-mixed colors, and simply let the seniors fill them in. Even if all the pictures turn out similar, that’s perfectly fine — what matters is that they can complete the work, participate, and enjoy the process without the stress of figuring out how to draw. We need to guide them clearly on what to do, so they can feel relaxed and have fun.

This event allowed the children to experience the challenges of communicating with people of different personalities and ages. It also made me reflect deeply on the true meaning, value, and limits of “art education” across different age groups. Perhaps the greatest value of art is that at every stage of life, it helps us find our own most suitable way of expression.

Thank you, everyone!

Featuring (from left to right) Emily Xu, Isabella Chen, Christina Huang, Elsa Zhang, Hannah Yin, Tristan Shi

Game Hoster: Tristan Shi

Guest Hosters: Isabella Chen, Lila Chen, Christina Huang, Ryan Lin, Emily Xu, Hannah Yin, Henry Yin, Elsa Zhang

Special Thanks to: Mrs. Fang's Art Studio & Mrs. Chen