Woman Brings Therapeutic Painting To Hamptons Nursing And Rehabilitation Center

Mym Tuma was always bound to the shoreline of Long Island.

In 2011, the 77-year-old artist from Center Moriches decided to share her love and affection of the shoreline with the residents at the Hamptons Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Southampton.

The first time she showed up at the nursing facility, Ms. Tuma took a variety of shells of different shapes and sizes, and shared them with the residents. Some of the residents held and felt the shells, bringing back memories of years past.

“They would say, ‘Oh, now I remember,’” Ms. Tuma said. “That’s the catch: triggering a memory of someone in their 80s, to remember the best times they had in their lives was on the beach. Who didn’t walk the beach when they were in love? Who didn’t look for shells when they were digging?

“Everyone had some sort of memory that came alive,” she added.

When those memories were recreated, Ms. Tuma thought of other ways to enrich the experiences of the residents and developed a program that combined art and the beach. At first, her program focused on painting the familiar shells from the beaches of the East End, sparking creative energy that had lain dormant. She called the program Healing Art Energy.

Seven years later, Ms. Tuma continues to bring Healing Art Energy to residents of the Hamptons Center for Rehabilitation, and her most recent project focuses on creating a mural that will be placed in the snackbar area of the facility.

“I realized there was a tremendous need,” Ms. Tuma said. “There was not enough programming. Coloring books just don’t do it.”

On Friday, nearly 10 residents helped paint a mural drawn by Ms. Tuma in one of the many dining halls of the rehabilitation center.

Ms. Tuma said during the hour-long class the painters used paint brushes and different techniques to create a 20-foot-long seasonal banner.

Popular tunes performed on a pan flute by Sander van Marion played in the background to help bring the mind back in time, according to Ms. Tuma. Plus, she added, people can hear the music in the hallways and know that painting is going on in the dining room.

Some of the residents wanted to be left alone while they expressed themselves through art, while others were excited to talk about the work they were creating.

“She is the best art teacher we have,” said Regina Schenck, a center resident who is originally from Red Hook, Brooklyn. Next to bingo, participating in the art class is the highlight of her day, she said. “It’s very relaxing.”

On Friday, Ms. Schenck worked on the mural—which included hearts, waves and whales—coloring the hearts her favorite color red.

Painting alongside Ms. Schenck was another resident, local artist Rosalind Letcher.

Ms. Letcher not only helped paint the mural, but she also painted hearts of her own to take back to her room at the facility.

“I’m an artist,” Ms. Letcher said, explaining that she has been an artist since early childhood. Her father, Henry Letcher—a first cousin of Duke Ellington—started the Letcher Art School in Washington, D.C. The school has also been designated as a historic national landmark, because it was the first African-American-owned art school of its kind.

Ms. Letcher said she attends art classes whenever she can at the rehabilitation center, mostly because it relaxes her.

Monica Finch of East Quogue works in the recreation department and said the classes are open to anyone in the facility—not just to people with memory issues, but also to those who are at the facility for a short term and seeking rehabilitation.

“These activities are good for the residents,” Ms. Finch said. “It’s good for their fine motor skills.”

Ms. Tuma told the story of one resident who came in with dementia. The woman, Ms. Tuma said, was angry and did not want to paint. So, Ms. Tuma offered her a brush and asked her to just try.

All of a sudden, the woman began painting angrily and fell asleep. When she woke up, Ms. Tuma approached her and told her she painted a very pretty picture. The woman did not realize she painted it, and determined she liked it.

The negativity in the world runs rampant, according to Ms. Tuma, and her hope is that art will draw people away from negativity and provide a positive outlet, like it has done for her.

“If what I am doing is good for me, why wouldn’t it be good for other people?,” Ms. Tuma said. “As they create art and share ideas, all participants learn how to cultivate positive energy over negative thinking.”