In the art classes at The Jasmine at Founders Village, participants started learning about and appreciating art history. The focus was the Impressionist art movement. Art instructor and Program Director Lourdes Torres reports: “We learned about the prominent artists of the time and the techniques they used. In this time, artists were stepping away from traditional art techniques and starting to do things differently. This new way was not well received at first, but Impressionism has come to be the most popular art movement to date. The artists moved outside (“en plein air”) to capture natural settings. They used short brush strokes of overlapping colors, and created depth and light without an obvious light source. They often painted ordinary places or figures, and they used directional lines and brushstrokes that lead the viewer to figure out the surfaces and textures. This lesson was the first step in creating our own Impressionist-inspired paintings in the classes to follow.”
Research demonstrates that participating in arts activities improves the health and quality of life of older people.
~ Lourdes Torres, Program Director
DR. JONATHAN SCHOOLER is a Professor and principal investigator of the META lab at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research focuses on consciousness, creativity, problem-solving, and decision-making. On the META lab, Dr. Schooler notes: “My lab’s research takes a ‘big picture’ perspective in attempting to understand the nature of mental life and, in particular, consciousness. Combining empirical, philosophical, and contemplative traditions, we address broad questions that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. Some of the topics and associated questions that intrigue us include: Mind-wandering: How does the stream of consciousness flow between the external world and internal thoughts and feelings? Mindfulness: Are there ways of enhancing our capacity to remain focused in the present moment? Creativity: What processes contribute to creative discoveries, and how can we enhance them? We are also interested in broader issues and associated questions regarding the frontiers of science.”
DENICE THOMAN has instructed thousands of citizens on how to be prepared for an emergency event, be it natural phenomenon or man-made, for over 30 years. Her instructional skills have been provided to many organizations and congregations including serving the City of Long Beach as the CERT program’s Director of Education, and the greater Long Beach area Latter Day Saints church as Stake Preparedness Director. Denice has recently retired as the National Coordinator of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and related programs for an major international corporation. Concurrently, she’s a certified CPR, AED (Automated External Defibrillator), and First Aid instructor. She has volunteered her instructional services to those in need. Denice’s motto is: “The time to prepare has passed when the emergency arrives.” Learn more about CERT in Los Angeles 
