Intergenerational Connections Through Art - Better Together

This essay was submitted by Tucson Hebrew Academy student and Better Together Intergenerational program participant, Shoshana Jacobson, and recently won the Better to Write Contest...

The pencil glided across the page with grace and ease. Her hand shook gently as she drew the figure. The skin on her hand was milky white, soft and buttery, weathered by the years. Marcie had shoulder length gray hair with long fingers and nails. Even though she was sitting the entire time I was with her, she appeared to be tall and was wearing a pretty pink blouse with flowers on it. In a previous life, she was an artist who worked in the fashion industry. And I could tell that drawing still brought her great joy.

This was not my first visit to the senior facility called Handmaker. I had been there many times. At first, I went to visit my grandpa David. I was very young, and do not remember much of my time with him at Handmaker. However, walking into the facility for the first time after grandpa died, the smell of pine cone-scented cleaner struck me as strong and familiar.

For years, I have been going to Handmaker with Tucson Hebrew Academy to visit residents. It is one of my favorite field trips we do because I love making new friends, getting to know the people who live there, and hear their stories.

This was the first time that I met Marcie and she immediately left an impression on me. I was in a group with my classmate and friend, Mollie Nicley. At first, we introduced ourselves and asked questions about our families and lives to get to know each other. Once the ice was broken and we warmed up, our task that day was to create family trees. What struck me at first was that the only living member of Marcie’s family was her sister, who also lived in Tucson. Her mother, father, and cousins had all passed away. Learning that made me sad because she could not spend time with her family. At the same time, I felt good about being with Marcie because I was doing a Mitzvah by keeping her company.

After we completed her family tree, out of nowhere, Marcie picked up a blue pencil, grabbed a piece of paper from the stack that Cantor Emily gave us, and started drawing. I looked at Mollie, and she looked back at me, in that silent language best friends have, wondering what Marcie was doing because she did not tell us what she was drawing.

Within seconds, I could tell what she was sketching—and this was no ordinary artist. I was truly inspired. With graceful strokes, and without hesitation, she was sketching beautiful, tall and slender models with 1960s hairdos. With each line, the figure came alive. After drawing their outlines, she picked up different color pencils and shaded in their outfits. I was mesmerized at how she was drawing seemingly without thinking, like it was second nature. She drew four ladies in different poses, each with different outfits, in just a few minutes. As she finished, she told us about her career in fashion and advertising. I did not move. I am not even sure I was blinking. I was so fascinated to learn about Marcie’s history. I did not want to leave Handmaker without taking a piece of Marcie with me. And apparently Mollie felt the same way because, almost at the same time, we asked Marcie if we could keep her drawings. Even though Marcie had a mask on, I could tell from her eyes that she was smiling.

As Marcie was signing her name, I whispered to Mollie, “I wonder if she can draw us.” I built up the courage and asked Marcie if she could draw us. Marcie replied, “I’m not really good at faces.” “It’s okay,” we replied. Marcie then sighed heavily and said, “I’ll try my best.” When she started drawing me, she kept looking up at me, then at the paper. But this was no ordinary look. It was as if she was trying to understand my face and who I was. I felt a connection to Marcie that surprised me and gave me butterflies in my stomach. When she was done sketching my face, I could tell that she really captured my essence. She then wrote my name and the date on the piece of paper and handed it to me. I was blown away!

Our time at Handmaker was coming to an end. Even though we were only able to spend about a half hour with Marcie, I felt really connected to her and did not want to leave. Once on the bus back to THA, I was boasting about my new friend and showing everyone Marcie’s drawings.

When I left Handmaker, I felt different. Somehow, I know that I was meant to meet Marcie, and that I would never forget her. Through her art, Marcie connected with me at a level I did not expect. Handmaker will no longer just remind me of my grandpa, but of the sweet, beautiful woman named Marcie that drew upon my heart.