Life in Color | Jewish Communal Fund Gallery
Manny Cantor Center
Ageless Arts with Mixed Media
Life in Color is a collaborative exhibition that captures the vibrant intergenerational connections formed by some of Educational Alliance's youngest and oldest community members. This joyful showcase honors the ways creativity bridges age, experience, and perspective, emphasizing that art is a universal language. Through this colorful and spirited display, Life in Color celebrates the explorations, perspectives, and processes of creating together.
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Selections from this exhibition are shown below.
Cathy & Ally: Cathy is a proud grandmother of nine and always dresses with style. She showed both confidence and kindness when working with her student partner, Ally. They connected right away. Ally wore a pink outfit and carried a purse with a pearl strap—something that matched Cathy’s classy style. Later, Ally placed her purse on the table, because as Cathy had taught her, “Pretty things are meant to be seen.”
Antonio & Ramona: When Antonio met Ramona, he recognized that she may initially be shy when meeting a new grown-up, particularly a man. So, he gave her space and did art side-by-side with her. They both stayed focused and made drawings together. Antonio drew a picture of Ramona. Ramona drew a picture of friends together. With interpretation, it was clarified that Ramona's picture included three friends on the playground, including her new friend, Antonio.
Doris & Ryley: Doris is an actress who trained with Stella Adler. She loves telling stories and being creative. She didn’t know that Ryley, her young partner, loves sensory play. When asked to choose an art material, Doris picked clay. Ryley’s eyes lit up. Then, Ryley decisively chose scissors. An unlikely pairing—much like Doris and Ryley themselves. And yet, their collaboration unfolded like a well-scripted scene: a snowman family came to life, starring a mother snowman in a clay-model Trader Joe’s bag-turned-dress. Equal parts imagination and improvisation. A story neither could have created alone.
Sonia & Kris: Sonia affectionately called Kris her “little Picasso.” Kris was full of energy and ideas. He loved to make art his own way and was always eager to share his thoughts. Sonia soon found joy in Kris leading the way, following his creative spark. She was impressed by how expressive and curious he was—not just as an artist, but also in conversation. His excitement was contagious and full of surprises.
Meeting Across Generations
Through Creativity Connects, Educational Alliance’s youngest and oldest community members had a unique opportunity to engage in artmaking together.
Carefully paired based on personality and interest, each intergenerational duo began a journey of connection through music, movement, hands-on art, and play. What started as a welcome song and a seat at the table grew into relationships built on trust, curiosity, and joy.
Along the way, participants challenged assumptions about age and ability, discovering unexpected abilities in themselves and one another—whether it was a child’s quiet focus or an elder’s playful spontaneity—revealing shared humor, vulnerability, and strength.
Julie & Amira: Julie initially felt nervous about partnering with a young child for art-making. She didn’t feel confident in her drawing skills, so she watched drawing tutorials on YouTube videos to prepare. At first, she focused more on her own art than on Amira. But as time went on, Julie realized art was also a way to connect. She and Amira started working together more, talking and creating as a team. In the end, Julie and Amira held hands to walk together, both of them becoming more confident as they shared the experience.
Antonio & Hannah: Antonio and Hannah quickly became a great team. They both loved to imagine and create. Antonio communicated using American Sign Language (ASL), with the help of a spoken English interpreter. He followed Hannah’s lead as she picked lots of different art materials, helping bring her ideas to life. Together, they made a fun piece of art inspired by Hannah’s baby doll, Ruby.
Laurie & Stanley: Laurie eagerly joined Creativity Connects in progress. She was paired with Stanley, who was quiet at first. Laurie was kind and patient, always ready to connect when Stanley was ready. Slowly, through art, Stanley began to open up. Thanks to Laurie’s gentle encouragement and Stanley opening up, they started creating together and building trust. Laurie later shared that Stanley hugged her and even gave her a high-five!
Doris & Ixora: Doris believes in finding meaning in small moments. When her partner Ixora carefully wrote her name—and her family’s names—right to left on her paper, Doris felt connected. It reminded her of learning Hebrew, which is also written that way. Instead of redirecting Ixora, Doris supported her writing and saw it as something meaningful they shared.
A Shared Palette
With each encounter, rapport strengthened—often in surprising and meaningful ways. From shared giggles to heartfelt exchanges, the relationships forming became as purposeful as the artwork itself. Like a new color blending into being, these connections revealed the beauty of coming together: distinct yet harmonious, different yet deeply complementary.
Over time, participants developed a greater awareness of one another’s individuality, cultivating empathy, patience, and a sense of mutual respect that echoed through the hallways and into the daily rhythms of the community center.
Regina & Kyara: Regina is known for loving the color green—green shirts, green glasses, even green hats. When learning about primary colors, she joked, “Why can’t I just paint with green?” Her young partner, Kyara, took note with a quiet smile. Later, when the group was given full creative freedom, Regina made a picture with many shades of green. Quietly, Kyara added a purple jewel to the center. When someone asked Regina how that made her feel, she smiled and kept creating. For someone who had never worked with kids before, it was a moment of connection. Regina later said, “Kids are special souls.”
Sonia & Ian: Ian wasted no time in sharing his love of monster trucks, and Sonia happily joined in, helping him create all kinds of truck-themed art. They worked together on a drawing, a 3D sculpture and a mixed-media piece. Sonia let Ian guide the process and noticed how much he enjoyed working as a team. Their partnership showed how creative art-making can also be a way to connect and build trust.
Group Reflection: At the end of the art session, the intergenerational group sat in a circle and shared how they felt while creating. People called out: “happy,” “silly,” “relaxed,” “excited,” “tired,” and “energized.” They looked proud of the art they made and the friendships they were building. The room was full of smiles, connection, and joy.
The Power of Process
Guided by a color-focused curriculum, artists explored materials through collaborative prompts, rotating stations, and sensory-rich experiences.
The creative space was energized by layering, overlapping, and mixing—not just with colors, but also with ideas, emotions, and personalities.
The process was often delightfully unfiltered—childen and older adults alike brought boldness and depth, and both surprised one another. Creativity Connects was process-oriented, valuing the art-making experience and emphasizing the benefits of connection. The process honored experimentation, self-expression, and co-creation as essential elements of artistic and human understanding.