Cordia Senior Residence program director brings art gallery experience to residents

Residents at a southwest suburban senior home aren't often able to travel to take in art at a gallery, but the director's idea is bringing the experience to them.    

At Cordia Senior Residence in Westmont, Illinois, residents are becoming inspired by the halls they walk every day.

"Never in a 100 years would I have said that is a Georgia O'Keeffe," said Rae Rupp-Srch.

"You'll never think of fruit and a vase in the same way, I mean, look, it's lush," said Pat Hogan.

Each week, a group travels together and discusses the works of art right outside their doors.

"They are bringing the museum to the people," Rupp-Srch said.

At 90, Rupp-Srch was the former village president of Villa Park and worked at an art gallery in the city.

"I think that is what is so nice about this little tour and Katie's work, is that we learn something different about each artist," she said.

"I went to COD [College of Dupage], and I studied the art there and art history. I also am an artist myself," said Katie Duda.

It was the idea of Duda, who is the programs director here at Cordia. She noticed the residents walk past these couple hundred paintings so often, they stopped noticing them,

"Our CEO, when she had the building decorated like 24 years ago, she hand-picked each of the paintings," Duda said.

Instead of swapping the pieces out, she changed how they interact with them.

"We decided to create a program based on what we had around us and learn more about it," she said.

If they aren't on a crawl, there is a QR code on each of the paintings that residents can scan and read about each one. While it sounds advanced for some of the residents, Duda says a lot of them are tech savvy.

"And I have friends that have come, and they are using their cameras when they find a couple that they really like," Rupp-Srch said.

For years, the paintings were part of the scenery. Now they're part of the conversation.

"I really believe with some of these paintings you can go back, and look at them and get a totally different perspective than you did a week ago or a month ago," Hogan said.

Proving the biggest discovery wasn't hanging on the wall, it's the realization after years of walking the halls, there was still something left to see.