Last Friday, St. Charles Senior Community Center (South Philadelphia), celebrated the five year anniversary of the drawing class. Participants whose ages range from 65 to 90, showcased their impressive drawings. Most entered the program as novice artists with limited drawing experience. This celebratory event highlighted participants’ skills and creative expression.

Ms. Teresa Unseld, a volunteer and retired art educator, started the drawing class in 2013. She said, “Benefits of the program include fostering self-esteem, realizing individual creativity and self-expression, developing cognitive thinking processes, articulating art perspectives and concepts while retaining memory.” The class won national recognition for program excellence in the arts from the National Institute of Senior CenterS in 2015. Additionally, participants have works displayed in exhibits and permanent collections in Philadelphia.

Ms. Brown, Vice President of St. Charles’ Advisory Board and program participant said, “I have participated in the class for five years. It gives me peace of mind, shows me abilities that I didn’t know I possess. I like Ms. Teresa’s constructive criticism and projects that include patterns and