Celebrating Color, Creativity, and Connections in Senior Living Communities During Artist Appreciation Month
August is Artist Appreciation Month. Pi would like to Acknowledge and celebrate the artists who are featured in recent Communities. Their contributions have been significant, as art and design have a deep connection that creates living spaces that people love and thrive in.
Artwork is a personal touch added to each community that helps define the property’s personality while appealing to a range of people. Pi’s Interior Design team brings in artists and imagery with ties to the local community to resonate with residents.
Tribute to the location’s rich history is paid by the historic local photographs throughout the building. For instance, Mount Prospect Senior Living, an Assisted Living and Memory Care community in Illinois, features a bistro bar with a seven-foot composite photo of the local favorites, the Chicago Cubs. Additionally, Capstone at Station Camp, a community Pi designed in Gallatin, TN, was built on the site of a long-time plant nursery and greenhouse. Artwork in the private dining room depicts mums, hydrangeas and poinsettias, the most popular flowers sold in the nursery.
Local art and photos elicit happy memories and give residents a special connection to their Senior Living community. It feels familiar and friendly, and it makes them feel at home.
Art is subjective, so selections should emphasize pleasant and appealing pieces that compliment the area in which they are featured. Color, shape, composition, and more – everything is meant to be considered to work together for a pleasing element. Images that are chaotic, confusing, or disturbing should be avoided, especially for Memory Care buildings.
Ultimately, all residents and visitors see these beautiful spaces with art that fits into and compliments its environment. However, this doesn’t just happen. Every piece of art goes through an extensive review process. It’s important to note that the selections should be reviewed from the design perspective and as part of community branding. The art and design are two key elements that tell visitors what the community is all about. They contribute to people’s first impression and enable them to imagine themselves living in this community and calling this place ‘home.’
Of course, art not only has to be visually appealing; it also needs to be safe. That means no breakable glass, sculptures that are securely positioned and can’t be knocked over or broken, and paintings, drawings, and hangings that are safely attached to the walls.
Artwork that incorporates technology and texture encourages residents to interact with the pieces. For example, some art includes discreet, interactive features and produces sounds related to the image, such as birds chirping in a nature scene. Others, such as therapeutic 3D textured panels, from sources such as ArtLine LTD, can provoke sensory impression through interaction and prompt memory. This form of art is especially beneficial for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients in Memory Care and Skilled Nursing. Programs such as “Meet Me at MOMA,” studied by New York University and the Museum of Modern Art, showed how viewing and engaging with artwork positively impacts people with early-stage dementia. Another study by researchers in The Netherlands showed how people with dementia responded to an interactive art installation called “VENSTER.” At the same time, digital art – which can be computer-generated, scanned, or drawn using a table and mouse – is growing in popularity and make a wider variety of images possible.
Artwork can pique curiosity in people about subject matter and meaning, which can often serve as a great conversation starter. Pi communities frequently include plaques or descriptors with pieces, especially historical photos, stating where the images are from and when the pictures were taken. This often encourages people to recall special events, exchange cherished memories, and bond over shared experiences.
One of the greatest compliments anyone can pay to the art is when a resident or staff member asks where they can purchase something from a particular artist for their home.
We at Pi are pleased to have this opportunity to pay tribute to the many wonderful artists whose works grace the halls and grounds of our buildings and bring beauty and joy to residents. Contact us here or call us at 512-231-1910 if you want to see more images or would like to talk about how we can make design and art take your community to a new level.
