“Family heirloom art” strengthens all generations

By Elizabeth Ussher Groff

The Bee, Oct 3, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Lisa Kagan, in the art studio of her Woodstock home, where she prepares materials for the classes she teaches on heirloom art, painting, drawing, and mask-making.

El,izabeth Ussher Groff / THE BEE

Exploring and preserving family history is often considered the perfect project for those in retirement. Time to work on memoirs makes it possible for many retirees to create family archives that can be enjoyed for generations to come.

But why wait for retirement? There is an argument to be made that a clear and strong sense of family history can make a person at any phase of life more secure, as he or she moves through the world. Studies have shown that those who know their family heritage have a stronger sense of self-identity, and are more inclined to be understanding and tolerant of cultural differences.

Lisa Kagan, a Woodstock resident, artist, writer, and teacher, likes to help individuals and families learn how to creatively express and preserve their family stories, traditions, and culture. She believes this process not only strengthens families and individuals, but also brings a deeper dimension to life.

“I believe the creative process has the power to empower, challenge, inform, and awaken the human spirit,” says Kagan.

Work as a personal historian began for Kagan when she was a student at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. A project in a course on immigration literature led her to merge writing, painting, and photography, resulting in a book illustrating her grandfather’s immigration story from Russia to the United States.

For the past eight years, Kagan has shared her philosophy and artistic approach by teaching children, teens, and adults in a variety of settings in Portland: The Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, Buckman Elementary School, the Children’s Museum Art Studios, Saturday Academy, and Willowbrook Center for the Development of Human Potential. For three years she served as director and art teacher at Augustana Academy in Northeast Portland.

Currently she offers art residencies — including family heirloom art, painting, drawing, mask-making and more, for school and community programs throughout the Portland area. She recently worked with the Multnomah County Caregivers Support Group Program, doing art therapy for caregivers of Alzheimers patients.

Now Kagan brings her experience to the Woodstock Community Center, offering a class on family heirloom art. “We will learn how to combine reproductions of family photographs and painting illustrations to create a series of narrative images. Students will also have the option of writing stories to accompany their artwork and combine them to make an illustrated family history book,” she says.

Kagan emphasizes that people do not have to be established artists to take the class. She believes that everyone has the potential for creativity, and that family heirloom art created through this series of eight classes can have a strong impact on children and grandchildren, as well as on class participants.

Visit the Internet website: www.LisaKaganDesigns.com to view a sample illustrated family history book, and to learn more about family heirloom art services and classes.

The weekly “Heirloom Art” class begins on Monday, October 15th, 1 to 3 pm, at the Woodstock Community Center. The class fee is $55 for eight sessions, running from October 15th through December 10th. You can register by calling the Woodstock Community Center 503/823-3633, or the Mt Scott Community Center 503/823-3183. You can also register or online at: www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=38277.

Facebook	Digg	Del.icio.us
Newsvine	Stumbleupon	Reddit