I became involved with this project because of my mom…
Looking to improve & expand their facility, the Hillsboro Medical Center Foundation began exploring what this should look like, what it should include and how it would be paid for. What they set out to create was a completely new nursing home, a new addition of assisted living rooms, a new swing/therapy wing, a new hospital wing and a new admistrative wing – a 12.5 million project. The community commitment to the project… 1.5 million. Wow! Talk about ambitious. Quite an undertaking for a community of around 1500.
They broke ground in May of 2007. Right about this same time it became apparent that mom’s health would not allow her to live independently much longer, so we began the processes of having her name included in the list of people interested in the assisted living facility.
The community’s capital campaign has been an important part of the financing package from the very beginning and I found myself wondering how I could impact that in any kind of meaningful way. Of course every dollar is welcomed, but above and beyond that, I wondered what else I could do to contribute. So, over a period of time, an idea began to hatch… let’s get art hung on the walls of the new buildings that would reflect the lives of the people who live there. Let’s face it – something would be hung to decorate the new facilities, so why not something personal and beautiful?
It took quite some time for me to figure out what this should look like. There are so many ways a person could go. Then, earlier this year – in April – it came time to move mom from our home to the nursing home. She had been prepared to move to the new facility, but this opening came a few months before the new place was ready. But, she conceded that it made sense to move while an opening was there. So, off we went.
After a few weeks of spending time with mom, the obvious hit me one day – we have a huge abundance of beautiful imagery all around us, every day. The walls should be filled with that imagery. Past and present. Those two elements are especially meaningful in this case, I think. So, after a few calls and email to Patty Dirk, the medical center’s administrator, it was settled and I had a mission. I would roam our lovely area to find images that would could be highly identifiable and easily related to – regardless of age or gender. Images that might start stories – remember when, remember that, I had one of those… After all, what is the point of a picture if there isn’t a story to go along with it? I LOVE a great story.
It’s been a great project for me on many levels. It gave me “permission” to photograph for the love of it, finding images that I love, producing them in a way that I love. On a personal level, it was great to share some of this with mom. Our hopes were that she’d be living at thew new facility when they were hung – she’d have been terribly proud, and I can see her now as she’d quietly point out that it was one of her children that did this. I’m pretty sure this is the only thing she ever felt comfortable bragging about – her kids. But, it wasn’t to be. Mom passed away just four weeks before the new faciltiy was moved into. But, I think both she and dad are smiling, and that’s ok.
September 6th was the grand opening of the new building – and by gosh and by golly we managed to get 17 of the images printed, framed and hung in time for the weekend celebration! We’re pretty proud of the contribution – but even more pleased with the smiles it brought to the faces of the people that live and work there. LOVE that!
All prints are being offered for sale to the general public for a limited time in a limited edition series. For more information, click here…
