The Misericordia Art Department: Sparking Creativity While Adding Beauty to the Community 
by Barb Quaintance
Here’s some history you may not know: Misericordia’s Art Program began in 1985 to provide work opportunities for our residents. The Coleman Foundation funded the program’s first project with Fannie May Candies. Residents created miniature ceramic replicas of the famous white baskets that held Fannie May’s delectable chocolates. This project showcased the talents of our adult residents and marked a new and exciting chapter in Misericordia’s story.
More than forty years later, the Art Department, overseen by Julie O’Sullivan, is an important part of the lives of more than two hundred residents and brings creativity and beauty to the Misericordia campus and the broader community. The Art Department's overall goal is to provide residents with opportunities to learn and improve their art skills, spark their creativity, and showcase their work through exhibits and auctions. It enables our residents to become artists and celebrate their artistry.
Nine instructors have studios in the Main Building and in Conway, and one studio is on the second floor at the Hearts and Flour Bakery and Cafe on Ravenswood. (The Main Building supports residents in Community Day Services, while Conway supports residents in Developmental Training.) The studios focus on art forms such as multimedia, ceramics, and painting. Each instructor has an art background, has studied various art forms extensively, and has created art independently. Typically, each studio works with a specific residential area.
The art instructors are not only artistically creative but also skilled at unlocking the potential of their resident students. For example, instructor Guy Tourangeau has devised a “head pointer” to help artists with limited hand use paint. The head pointer is affixed to the artist’s head, allowing them to paint with more control than they’d have using their hands. The results are spectacular!
The Artist in All TM is perhaps the premier event of the Art Department. Each studio has residents who participate. But that’s only one of the creative events the Art Department supports. Each August, the Art Walk beautifies campus. Intended to give staff and residents alike the opportunity to enjoy art displays across campus, each year’s walk has a theme; last year’s theme was Everchanging Seasons. These pieces are weather-resistant and are placed throughout campus. Hidden treasures in plain sight!
Misericordia artists also participate in community projects throughout the year. Last year, Mis teamed up with Metra to paint a mural under the viaduct on Ridge Avenue. This year, the Art Department is collaborating with Lincoln Park Zoo on a "Canvas for Conservation." Different art rooms visited the zoo, learned about specific animals and species, and were then tasked with creating art about the animal and their experience. Be sure to visit the zoo’s Lion House this November to see this phenomenal art. (Stay tuned to Mis Biz for more information.)
And if you are near the Village of Rosemont, check out the eight-foot-tall rose sculpture created by Misericordia residents for the "Rosemont in Bloom" event.
Who knew there was so much artistic talent on the Misericordia campus? The Art Department knew, and they nurture that creativity year-round!
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