Contest fetes assisted living residents' art during virus

Hester Insley of Crown Point Assisted Living in Sheridan was awarded first place in the virtual art contest, Art From The Window of My Heart, for this painting.
Hester Insley of Crown Point Assisted Living in Sheridan was awarded first place in the virtual art contest, Art From The Window of My Heart, for this painting.

Works by three artists have been awarded prizes in Art From the Window of My Heart, the Arkansas Health Care Association's virtual art contest.

Hester Insley of Crown Point Assisted Living in Sheridan was awarded first place, according to a news release from the association. Second place was awarded to Kathryn Huenefeld, a resident of StoneBridge Heber Springs and third place was awarded to Wanda Prince, a resident of Chateau on the Ridge in Paragould.

The artworks were qualified for the competition after being chosen from their respective facilities. Statewide winners were then selected on Facebook with the artworks that received the most reactions considered to be the most-loved pictures, according to the news release.

There were 63 submissions made to the statewide comp­etition, says Cat Hamilton, Arkansas Health Care Association's director of member services, during an interview last week.

The contest was a way to help residents of long-term care facilities cope with restrictions imposed by the covid-19 pandemic.

"It has been such a difficult few months for residents who have not been able to have family and friends visit," Hamilton says. "This was something fun for facilities to participate in and something different from what they normally do. This art contest was a way to boost morale and celebrate our residents."

Insley, 93, said her wolf painting was inspired by her love of animals. She has taught private art lessons, and having the chance to paint again has brought her joy during the pandemic, she said.

Huenefeld, 87, rediscovered her love for painting after moving into StoneBridge, according to the news release. Her painting is of her Uncle Jim's truck and the green color comes from her memories of him keeping a can of John Deere paint in his tool shed. He would fix her toys and touch them up with his green paint, she said.

Prince, former high school teacher, based her artwork on a photograph taken of her during a 1974 trip to India, where she met future Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Prince, who is 93, said in the release that painting this image was something she has wanted to do for many years and that the isolation due to covid-19 infection-control measures finally provided her the opportunity to do so.

The Arkansas Health Care Association is a trade association and is the state's largest organization of long-term care providers, representing 93% of the licensed long-term care facilities in Arkansas.

"We want to do whatever we can to promote the good, positive work that is still happening in our nursing facilities," Hamilton says.

The facilities where the three winners live will each receive a themed party, though it might be a while before the festivities take place.

"Of course, we are closely watching the recommended guidelines for social distancing," Hamilton says. "Hopefully, in the coming weeks and months, facilities can move more toward a phase of reopening. We don't know when or what that might look like ... but we are looking at creative ways we can celebrate those resident artists."

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