Art Workshops and Community Open Day at Macquarie Lodge
On Friday 11 February 2023, we opened the doors to Macquarie Lodge and welcomed the community to visit for a day of art workshops, art exhibitions and performances by Chinese cultural dancers and Salvos Band. This event was helmed by Macquarie Lodge Aged Care Centre, Macquarie Lodge Retirement Village and Salvos Home Care Arncliffe, all coming together to celebrate the seniors in our community during this year's NSW Seniors Festival. The goal was a day of fun, creativity, education and connecting with our local community.
We had two exhibitions on throughout the day:
- Photography and paintings by Raymond Horsey who resides at Macquarie Lodge Retirement Village and is a published photographer.
- Arts and crafts handmade by our Macquarie Lodge Aged Care Centre residents.
The Chinese cultural dancers started the day with their first performance and their serene moves and colourful outfits were a joy to watch. In the outdoor area of Macquarie Lodge Aged Care Centre, the art workshop station had been set up, decked out with colourful decorations and a range of art materials including paint, plant pots to paint and paper for origami. Three workshops had been organised – aqua painting, pot painting and origami.
Throughout the day, our staff led interested attendees on tours throughout the Centre and Village and manned information tables to answer any questions from attendees.
Paintings and photography by Raymond Horsey were displayed in the historic Dappeto House in the main living room, with a mix of his still-life paintings and black and white photographs.
At the art exhibition of Macquarie Lodge Aged Care residents, a variety of mediums were on display from acrylic paintings, landscape paintings, button art, collage and stencil art. Resident Garrick is a keen painter, with some of his works displayed in his own showcase.
As budding and expert artists alike gathered together, the Salvos Band started to play, which provided a great backdrop for the day’s artistic endeavours. The music was enjoyed by all, and a few people even made requests for songs to be played in the Salvos Band style.
