SMC’s Emeritus program held an online art exhibition on April 21 which gave a space for the older students to present their work in front of an audience. It was the first part of a two part installation, with the second exhibit taking place via Zoom on May 26 starting at 5pm.

SMC’s Emeritus art program held an art exhibition which was the first part of a two part installation on April 21 from 5pm to 6:30 pm via Zoom. The event was hosted by Emeritus Associate Dean Dr. Scott Silverman and Emeritus gallery curator Jesse Benson. This art show gave a space for the students to present their work in front of an audience, explain what inspired their piece, and also gives them a place to advertise the art that the do have on sale.

The Emeritus program is a program that is designed for older students. Classes within the Emeritus program are non-credit based classes that aim to teach students a new skill. The Emeritus program at Santa Monica College (SMC) offers a broad range of courses such as; water color, autobiography, yoga, and communication after a stroke classes.

Some students in the Emeritus program come back to school fulfill their passion, such is the case for Akemi Watanabe. Early on in Watanabe's life, she knew she had a passion for art but her parents pushed her away from it even asking her "How do you make a living doing art?" So she would go on to be a nurse for her career. She would work as a nurse for seven years in Tokyo and then worked as a coordinator at Torrance Memorial Hospital. "But then I retired waiting for the day to start art." said Watanabe.

Akemi Watanabe, a student in the Emeritus art program whose work was featured in the art show on April 21, 2022. (Keith Mowatt | The Corsair)

The classes she has taken at SMC have had a profound impact on her art saying, "If I didn't have Santa Monica College, I [wouldn't have] known where to start... mainly I really like to join the art scene to make a lot of friends because once you retire you don't really meet people. That is the only place I can go to make new friends."

Watanabe had two pieces on display at the art show being "Moon Walking" and "Dawn" both on sale for $150 and $325 respectively. You can view and purchase her work at "Akemi Watanbe.art" on saatchiart.com.

Lori Pollack is also a student who was pushed away from art as a kid by her parents, only to come back to school and rediscover her passion after a career in teaching elementary students. Pollack not only has a passion for art, but education as well and she said "I've been in schools for almost the last 40 years of my life...Newsflash, I love school!".

Pollack taught at Grant Elementary in Santa Monica in her tenure as a teacher. "It's been very, very positive," Pollack had to say about the impact SMC has had on her art.

She started an Instagram page during the pandemic because she wanted to see something positive come from the lockdown, and she has accrued two thousand plus followers by posting her art. Her art is predominately water color paintings, including "Jump for Joy" and "Hugging Saguaros" in which she presented at the art show, they are selling for $290 and $275 respectively. To purchase these paintings, listings are on Loripollack.com.

The zoom of the art show was recorded and can be accessed through the Emeritus art gallery home page on smc.edu. The full gallery of student art can be accessed through through SMC Emeritus Facebook page. Part two of this art exhibition will be taking place via zoom on May 26 starting at 5pm.

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