The Olympia Arts Commission has approved the proposed mural that will be painted at the Olympia Senior Center. The mural will be the first large art piece that depicts aging and seniors in the city art collection.
At the Arts Commission meeting held Thursday, May 11, Anna Schlecht, a member of the Board of Senior Services for South Sound, described the proposed mural to be painted with a literal arc in the form of a rainbow with silhouettes spanning between both ends – starting with a crawling baby on the right side leading to an elderly person in a wheelchair.
"This mural represents the first senior-centered artwork since the joint Olympia Center/Senior Center founding in 1982," Schlecht stated in a letter to the Arts Commission in January.
The artwork is proposed to be painted on the south wall of the entry hallway leading from the Senior Center lobby to their congregate dining room in the Olympia Center.
Schlecht assured the hallway is safe from vandalism in the late evening/early morning hours and will be protected by the high foot traffic in and around the area.
"I spend a remarkable amount of time at the Olympia Center. It is great to have a facility. It is also institutional and cold, and we have a tremendous desire to make it more senior-centric," Schlecht said.
"The goal is to make the place a welcoming space,” Schlecht continued, “and not to make people feel they are being institutionalized."
According to Schlecht, Senior Services staffer Theresa Zinewicz conceptualized the original mural to establish a senior-focused presence in downtown Olympia. Senior Services and private donors financed it.
"We first painted on the side of the wall of the former Senior Services Estate Store. We lost that facility during the pandemic, and then the mural was covered over with metal siding," Schlecht said.
The original image was 70 feet long and 10 feet tall. The proposal is to cut it to 44% of its original length.
"This is going to be done by omitting the person throwing a baby in the air, shortening the bench, losing the dog and cat and reducing the space between the figures and tightening up the rainbow a bit," Schlecht explained what the proposed project would look like.
Schlecht claimed that 100% of respondents, or 55 individuals – 47 facility user seniors and eight staffers – said they like the idea of senior-centric art. About 98% of respondents said they wanted the particular design.
They also received some requests from seniors who wanted to see images of salmon, mountains, and water, more art representing BIPOC and LGBTQ folks, and images of seniors being together and having a good time.
The mural images will first be traced by local artist Chelsea Baker and assisted by Regine Varghins of Thomas Architecture.
"Once the images are traced, seniors from the Senior Services arts programs will be invited to help fill the shapes. The concept is to facilitate community-based, participatory art projects," Schlecht stated.
The Arts Commission forwarded the recommendation to the city council for approval.
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