On Thursday, January 29, an area of Margaret Tietz Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Jamaica Hills – normally used for wellness and therapeutic programming – was transformed into a vibrant art space as residents unveiled their annual art exhibit. The collection told the story of the past year of creativity and connection.
Guiding visitors through the space was Art Director Katherina Garcia, whose vision shaped both the artwork and the experience of viewing it. She explained that this year’s programming intentionally moved away from rigid structure and toward open-ended expression.
“We wanted to lean into creativity, to let residents create freely and joyfully,” Garcia said.
The exhibit began with autumn-themed works. Painted trees in glowing oranges, deep reds, and golden yellows lined the walls alongside wreaths and seasonal imagery that evoked the changing of the seasons.
Nearby hung a striking collection of masks inspired by Mexico, West Africa, and China, which residents reinterpreted through their own artistic style.
From there, the mood shifted toward spring and summer. Several pieces had been created outdoors in the facility’s garden last June, where residents painted butterflies, blossoms, and open skies directly on the patio. The outdoor setting became part of the creative process.
Those butterflies were later brought to life as three-dimensional works and hung from the ceiling around the summer artwork, giving the space a sense of movement and lightness – as if the garden had followed residents indoors.
Along another wall, brightly colored handprints were transformed into flowerpots. Though created as part of a group activity, each piece remained distinct in color, pattern, and texture, underscoring the individuality of every resident.
Along one side of the room, a piano covered in a simple ivory tablecloth held a collection of small individual artworks titled “Painting to the Music.” Each resident created a separate piece while listening to music, working independently rather than collaboratively.
Rather than following a formal lesson, the activity invited residents to translate what they heard into color and texture. The result was a group of highly personal works – different in style and mood – yet unified by the same musical inspiration.
“These pieces are about what the music brought out in each person emotionally,” Garcia explained.
On the far-right side of the room, centered along the back wall, a large painting of the Eiffel Tower, created entirely with Q-tips, marked the exhibit’s forward-looking finale and paid homage to Georges Seurat, the pioneer of pointillism.
Garcia described this as the launch of a new initiative called “Mastering the Masters.”
“Over the coming year, we’ll introduce residents to iconic artists and explore their techniques together,” she said.
Tiny dots filled the canvas in Seurat’s signature style, recalling masterpieces like A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. What might have seemed like a simple craft project instead reflected study, patience, and artistic ambition.
“Everyone kept asking why we were using Q-tips. Now they see exactly why,” Garcia laughed.
Photographs from the exhibit captured the full range of residents’ work: large collaborative murals, textured cultural masks, individualized handprint flowers, garden butterflies painted outdoors and later suspended from above, playful watermelon panels, the “Painting to the Music” pieces displayed atop the ivory-covered piano, and the meticulous pointillist Eiffel Tower.
The exhibit was also a team effort. In addition to Garcia, staff members Luis Moreno, Chevion Clarke, Caitlyn Rogowski, Director of Public Affairs Linda Spiegel, and Recreation Director Ricardo Rosa Solo played key roles in guiding the projects from creation through display.
As one visitor observed during the tour, “This really walks you through the seasons and the journey you shared together.”
“That’s exactly what we hoped people would feel,” Garcia replied.
The exhibit offered another example of how Margaret Tietz continues to enrich the cultural and human fabric of the Queens community.