About the exhibition:

Not Forgotten by Ginny Ferrante Perry is a series of ink, paint and pastel portraits depicting residents of a local nursing home where she volunteers. Ginny spent years speaking with dependent, Alzheimer’s and Hospice Care patients, hearing their stories, and learning about their lives. Within the residents, she found an abundance of strength, wisdom, faith, courage, and acceptance. Each patient had legacies to honor, stories to share, and a desire to be heard.

Too often our elderly community members are forgotten and isolated from their past lives. Ginny understands the importance of sharing their stories. With each bold and tender portrait, Ginny reminds the viewer that despite their limitation, the elderly still have plenty to say, and it is our privilege to listen. The heart-wrenching images of Not Forgotten are presented with visceral empathy and compassion; a visual depiction of the deep emotional connection Ginny made with each resident. Not Forgotten aims to bring more awareness to our aging community members, specifically those living in nursing homes, and serves as a reminder that their lives are rich with meaning and purpose.

Not Forgotten will be on view in Gallery 2 at Da Vinci Art Alliance starting February 1st until February 19th. The opening reception will take place on Saturday February 4th, from 4-7pm.

About the Artist:

Ginny Ferrante Perry is an artist and high school art educator from rural upper Bucks County. She attended Philadelphia College of Art, BFA in Illustration, and Syracuse University, MFA in Illustration. She also received her Art Education Certification from Moore College of Art and Design and studied Drawing and Painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

She did freelance illustration and Graphic Design at the Philadelphia Inquirer for many years, taught Illustration at the Hussian School of Art, and owned/taught at the Doylestown Art Center. Perry has been on the teaching staff at Souderton Area High School since 2001.

She has displayed her work in many solo and juried shows and won numerous awards. She is currently a member of the Cerulean Arts Gallery Collective, Philadelphia, Pa. where she has yearly solo shows. She recently became a member of the DaVinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, Pa.
Perry is a volunteer Lay Chaplain at a local Nursing home facility, which lead her to create the body of artwork she’s producing today. Her work, using various mediums focuses on the Nursing Home culture and the inspiring people she has met through this experience.

“My home in Tinicum Township, Upper Bucks County, Pa, was for many years, the inspiration for much of my work. I was intrigued not by the predictable/perfect beauty of a plant or landscape, but by the chaos, imperfection, and discord of a wilting dying sunflower, a weed, a dried leaf, or disarray after a storm. I found beauty, spirituality, metaphor, and deep emotion, even a “story” in the chaos. Sometimes my work focuses on cityscapes inspired by my travels to Philadelphia and Brooklyn. Again, I am fascinated by the chaos, discord, and energy of the city.

In 2017, I became a volunteer Lay Chaplain at a local nursing home. I was inspired by the amazing people I met. My art shifted from nature and city themes to capturing the daily lives of the home residents. The people I had the privilege of knowing led interesting and purposeful lives. I saw patients in Hospice Care, patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and patients failing from various physical debilitating ailments. The nursing home was their home, their culture.

A conversation I often have with patients is how much love and pride they have for their families. They miss their homes, desire more independence and autonomy, and have the need to be present and heard. They want to laugh, learn, play, freely express emotion, and tell their stories. They want people to listen…and they have a lot to say.

The goal of my art is to make the public more aware of this often-forgotten population. Our elderly need to feel that their lives have relevance, meaning, and purpose. Often, they feel shut away, invisible, and forgotten. When creating a piece/portrait of a resident, I am reminded of that wilting sunflower. I don’t see age and fragility, but immense beauty, courage, character, strength, and a remarkable life “story”.
My signature drawing style entails intricate, bold, energetic, and poetic markings, and sometimes delicate renderings. Lines are created with charcoal, ink (often drawn with string dipped in ink), acrylic paint (often poured and manipulated), pastels, and plaster that are drawn, erased, scratched, and/or incised into. I usually prefer drawing and painting on heavy Bristol and watercolor paper. Occasionally, I work on canvases. I use a limited color palette of subdued colors and, black and white. The medium or mixture of mediums I use always depends on the message or emotion I’m trying to convey” - Ginny Ferrante Perry

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