When Barbara Garwood came up with the concept of what is now “Faces of Trinity Living” back in 2006, she had a fairly simple goal.
“We wanted to, literally, put a face on what we do,” Garwood said.
Back then, Trinity Living Center, which offers adult day care services, was called Abundant Living, and Garwood was executive director. She was aware that many people in the community really didn’t understand what the center was all about, and she wanted people to know that participants were a diverse group.
An artist herself, Garwood recruited other local artists to donate portraits of the center’s participants. In the early years, the exhibit traveled around, from a downtown bank to the YMCA to the windows of downtown Salisbury businesses.
Waterworks Visual Arts Center is now home to the “Faces” exhibit. The opening reception was Sept. 26, and the show will continue through Oct. 25. The portraits will be presented to participants’ families Nov. 6 at a reception at Trinity Living Center.
The local art community has been wonderfully responsive to requests for portraits, Garwood says, and the show has gotten better every year. “I’m always amazed at the quality of the art,” she says.
Artist Colleen Walton went above and beyond this year, completing seven watercolor portraits.
Christina Joyce, executive director of Trinity Living Center, shepherded this year’s project with the help of Anne Scott Clement of Waterworks. While it takes a lot of energy, “it’s worth every bit of work,” she says.
Portraitist Mark Stephenson jumped at the chance to participate in “Faces” this year.
“Both of my parents were residents of assisted living as well as nursing centers before they died,” Stephenson said, “and I always wanted to make sketches of the people I got to know at those places, but I never got around to doing what I wanted to do.
“So this was a real opportunity to fulfill those wishes.”
Trinity Living Center, a United Way agency located at 1416 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., provides day care to disabled and frail elderly adults Monday through Friday. It is operated by Lutheran Services Carolinas. For information, call 704-637-3940.