The mayor’s annual senior craft fair is set for Saturday at Saturday, November 19, a great opportunity for early holiday shopping at the Blaisdell Center.
Barbara Guidage and Richard have been instructing seniors here at Makua Ali’i on the fine art of raku firing. Barbara says the seniors are receptive to this art form.
"They start out with either hand-building or throwing their pottery and then just keep tweaking it a little bit and they like it a lot,” said Guidage.
The city parks and recreation department helped with setting up this program – and others.
"Today we offer ceramics, we have painters, we have people coming in doing floral arrangements. We have ukulele classes, we have hula classes. And we’re looking into digital photography…we’re looking at changing the role of seniors to let everyone see that they just don’t want to sit around any more. They got careers to get to work on,” said Steven Santiago of the city’s parks and recreations department.
As you look at some of the raku works created by the seniors, listen to why Barbara is involved as a volunteer.
"I enjoy working with people. I have a background in nursing and I guess that’s probably part of it. But I enjoy seeing them get better and enjoying it and getting a smile on their face,” said Guidage.
And while she enjoys seeing their smiles, Barbara says she gets something out of the inter-change as well. "I learn more from teaching them than just on my own. I take a lot of workshops and bring that information in but they always ask different questions and they do different things, so it teaches me, too."
Proceeds from the sale of these beautiful works of art will go to buy more raw material to continue the program at Makua Ali’i.
"And everything they do, they’re self-sufficient. My budget does not include anything for that program already. Same with the painters, the painters are now self-sufficient. And that’s the goal and that shows you how good the programs are,” said Santiago.
Once again, the Mayor’s Craft Fair will be this Saturday, starting at 9AM at the Blaisdell Center.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
