These older people aren’t content with a life of bingo and knitting needles just yet.
Residents at Sherwood Grange, a care home that provides full-time residential and dementia care, in Kingston Vale, London, were more interested in another hobby.
The home allows residents to take up any activities they fancy – so when they requested the opportunity to draw a nude model, the care team immediately set to work to organise one, even asking the budding artists what type of model they would like
They requested that staff find ‘a nice handsome’ man to visit them alongside an artist so they could get in touch with their creative sides.
Some have already been on a sketching trip in France and taken part in watercolour painting at the home and at the nearby Dorich House Museum but they wanted a new challenge.
With the help of professional artist and life drawing teacher Robin Rutherford, the 12 residents learnt how to sketch the body in a new way.
Sherwood Grange is part of the Care UK group, who is sponsoring a month-long festival called The Big Draw.
The festival promotes drawing as a tool for learning, expression and invention, with more than 60 care homes across the UK taking part, but as the team and residents at Sherwood Grange have a special love for painting and drawing, the staff decided to do something memorable to mark the end of the Big Draw festival.
Rick Mayne, home manager at Sherwood Grange, said: ‘Most people expect life in a care home to be a certain way – but here at Sherwood Grange we’re keen to ensure that there are no limitations and every day can be different and fun.
‘Life in our care home is all about helping people to enjoy more independent and fulfilling lives – and today that meant expanding people’s experiences and doing something out of the ordinary.
‘It’s fair to say we’ve never had a nude model at the home before – but based on the response we may well do again!’
The residents loved their class, with one commenting that they loved how the class hadn’t been ‘dumbed down’ for them, while another asked for them to hold another class with a different model soon.
Artist Robin Rutherford said: ‘I found the residents and team members at Sherwood Grange to be really welcoming and it was a privilege to work with a group of open-minded people keen for new artistic experiences.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/31/care-home-welcomes-naked-male-model-residents-request-nude-drawing-class-11018719/
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