‘Did I Do That?’: Seniors Surprise Even Themselves at Yorktown Art Exhibit
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Residents at Yorktown Assisted Living put their passions on display in a celebration of creativity and connection.
By Maddie Stone
During a recent visit to Yorktown Assisted Living, 99-year-old Grace Colesanti reflected on a lifelong love of art that began in childhood and never left her.
“I was always sketching, even as a child,” commented Colesanti, who prepared a prominent self-portrait for the event. “My mother said, even if I didn’t have a pencil in my hand, I’d find a crayon or whatever… [Now] I look up at [my self-portrait] and say, ‘Did I do that?’”
The self-portrait was one of several pieces on display at an art show hosted Sunday, May 18, by Yorktown Assisted Living, where residents shared work that reflected their creativity and personal histories.
Organizers also wanted the exhibit to serve as a celebration of artistic expression in later life, showing that talent and passion can thrive at any age.
Joan Whalen, a former New York gallery director herself who helped coordinate the event, also commented on the unusually high caliber of the exhibit for a senior living setting.
“It’s very, very unusual for an assisted living facility to put on a show of this magnitude because this is something that you would see in a gallery or a museum,” Whalen observed. “And not only that, but we are representing so many different media. We have painting, we have watercolor, we have photography, we have all sorts of mixed media. So that is also very unusual because when you go to an exhibit it’s very focused on one particular thing or one particular artist… I think it’s very newsworthy.”
Among the featured artists were Bill Melvin, a 95-year-old former commercial artist known for his aviation-themed watercolor paintings; 83-year-old Robert Preston, a concert pianist-turned-photographer who has captured images from around the world; and Colesanti, a lifelong art enthusiast who creates expressive oil paintings — along with many others.
The event was meaningful not only to the artists but also to the wider community. The Yorktown campus — comprising the Yorktown Nursing Home, Yorktown Rehabilitation, Senior Day Center, Yorktown Assisted Living, and Yorktown Memory Care — is a prominent presence in the area.
Local high school students volunteered to pass out hors d’oeuvres and guests enjoyed a cocktail bar and live music.
Recreation Director Amanda Grieve, for her part, reflected on the unique spirit of the event.
“It’s our mission here at Yorktown Assisted Living to discover and support the unique purpose within each resident, fostering meaningful relationships that grow stronger with time — regardless of age,” Grieve said.
And the exhibit, she added, brought that effort to life in a tangible way.
Concluded Grieve: “Our recent art exhibit was a powerful reflection of that mission… watching visitors connect with their work reminded us all that purpose and passion don’t fade — they flourish when nurtured.”
