National Art Honor Society Completes Collaborative Mural Project with Mary Campbell Center Residents

Residents created abstract paintings in watercolor and acrylic using adaptive art tools and techniques, incorporating the fundamental elements of art—shape, color, and line. The emphasis for each individual’s painting was the simple joy of painting, creating, and collaboration. Each painting was photographed, digitally composited in an imaging software, and then combined with original digital photographs of flowers which functioned as a unifying visual element. In its final form, the mural provides a colorful metaphor for growth and beauty and is a testament to the Center’s continuing commitment to engage residents meaningfully in the life of their community.

Located on Weldin Road in Wilmington, Delaware, the Mary Campbell Center is an intermediate long-term care facility located on a ten-acre campus serving people with disabilities and their families. Opened in 1976, the Center has a rich history of significant growth; from its physical plant to the number of programs it offers and population it serves. Home to 68 full-time residents, the Center also provides short-term respite care, day programs, and events, clubs, and summer camps for children and young adults with disabilities. The MCC is a completely unique facility: it is not a nursing home, but rather a loving home complemented with state-of-the-art assistive technology, expansive aquatic and physical development and therapy services, a devoted health care team, and the creative energy of activity and recreation specialists. Its funding is derived from Medicaid, private sources, and the generosity of foundations, friends, and donors who believe in its mission, vision, and values (from LinkedIn).

  

The Center emphasizes that it is a home “for people with abilities”. Stephanie Silverman explains, “As an art educator, it is my greatest privilege and joy to awaken creative potential and to help excavate and nurture the artist in everyone. I’ve had the privilege of teaching students age three to the graduate level, as well as artists with special needs, including blind children. Throughout the variety of teaching experiences I’ve had over the years alongside the many students I’ve been fortunate to serve, what remains remarkably constant across all populations is the human capacity and desire to create – and most importantly, the excitement when ‘making your mark.’ I wanted to collaboratively engage the residents and showcase their abilities by directly engaging them as co-creators and full and equal participants in the creative process, especially since the final artwork would become a feature in their home and daily lives." Kelley Franklin, the Center’s Interdisciplinary Programs Manager, worked closely with Silverman to plan and organize a student-led painting workshop at the Center in April 2024. Franklin explains, “The Mary Campbell Center is first and foremost the residents’ home. Our team makes it a priority to provide the tools, time, and techniques to enable residents to be a part of enriching art projects like this. They loved the creative process, sharing the experience with their Archmere friends, and having a hand in decorating their home space.”

 

“I wanted to design a creative experience and project that would instill a sense of pride and agency in the residents, while also providing an opportunity to connect many different people from different communities in a visible celebration of community and creativity. In particular, I knew that this project would offer an important opportunity for our National Art Honor Society students to serve as creative project leaders for a new community of artists.” In April, Archmere National Art Honor Society students led a painting workshop with the residents where they had the opportunity to explore painting with vibrant neon and glitter acrylic paints, and worked closely with the Center’s staff and the Residents, who used a variety of adaptive tools and brushes to make their mark including innovative 3D printed adaptive brush holders printed right on site at the Center.  “One of Archmere Academy’s goals is to “inspire empathetic leaders, prepared for every good work.”  I very much believe that ultimately education should have a public purpose, and we all have a sense of obligation to share our skills, knowledge, and gifts with others in service to the world. I knew that this would be an incredible opportunity for the NAHS students to interface with and co-create with the Center’s residents, to share their passion for creating and share their artistic talents in service of others in the community.”

 

Jace Walker ‘25, Archmere NAHS President said of the project, "I loved meeting the residents of the Mary Campbell Center and being able to help them create something beautiful to enjoy and be proud of that they can look at every day. The project was very special to me personally because my little brother has Down Syndrome and one of his favorite things to do is draw and create art. I think art is a perfect way for everyone to express themselves!"

The mural is a digital composite of over fifty individual paintings created by MCC residents, Archmere NAHS students, and members of the Welch & Dunn families (descendents of Chuck E. Welch). The paintings were photographed and then digitally layered with imagery of flowers and botanicals in Adobe Photoshop. The digital composites were then combined and manipulated with filters and blend modes to further enhance the colors and abstractions in the work. “Given the range of ages (3-76) of our over fifty participants, and with sensitivity for the many different abilities of the MCC residents, I decided that all participants would create paintings with only shape, color and line as both a visual and stylistic equalizer. By creating non-representational abstract work, the emphasis was kept on enjoyment and participation, not perfection-- the simple joy of painting and creating.”

 

The final mural features digital composites of abstract paintings created by Archmere NAHS students and paintings created by residents at the Mary Campbell Center student-led workshop in April. Family members of Mary Campbell Center founder Chuck and Charma Welch, many of whom happen to be Archmere alumni, also created abstract paintings incorporated into the mural. Family participants included three of the Welch’s children: Mary Beth Welch ‘83, Pat Dunn, and John Welch ‘71, son-in-law Gary Dunn ‘69, four grandchildren: Justin Dunn ’99 and his wife Nichole Williams Dunn ’99, Stephanie Welch Silverman ’00, Taylor Dunn ’04 and his wife Maggie Wood Dunn ’04, and the three children of Nathan Dunn ’98. Five great-grandchildren also participated, including Sophia Silverman ‘28, Alice Dunn, Keilan Dunn, Kyson Dunn, Ildiko Dunn, Emile Dunn, and Charma Dunn.

 

All of the paintings were photographed and then digitally composited in Adobe Photoshop, an imaging software, with original digital photographs of flowers taken by Archmere NAHS member Richard Angiullo ’25 and Sophia Silverman ‘28. The floral imagery functioned as a unifying visual element to create cohesion among the dozens of paintings, and to provide colorful and uplifting imagery in the space. The mural, measuring 4 feet tall x 88 feet in length, is installed on the walls in the Charmie Welch Hallway for residents to enjoy and to be inspired by on a daily basis. In addition, a reception to celebrate the mural installation was held on Wednesday, August 20, 2024.

 

 

Carrie Wiig ‘24 (2024 NAHS Co-President)

Kaia Yalamanchili ‘24 ( 2024 NAHS Co-President)

Jace Walker ‘25 (2025 NAHS President)

Maddie McCarrin ‘24

Melissa Doig ‘25

Natalie Skelly ‘25

Camilo Alvarez ‘24

Justin Flenner ‘24

Sophia Chen ‘24

Grace Chen ‘24

Caeli McAlaonon ‘25

Bella Hughes ‘24

Julia Krajewski ‘25

Sophia Silverman ‘28

Richie Angiullo ‘25

Read the Dialog news article about the project here.