The Spirit of Art is Ageless Award


Vera Hamm, 91, of Dodge City, KS

“Spirit of Art is Ageless” is a special selection that recognizes an artist who, based on his or her ongoing pursuit of the arts as a resident of Presbyterian Manors, captures the essence of Art is Ageless^TM.

More than an art exhibit and competition, the purpose of Art is Ageless is to encourage pursuit and discovery of the arts as a part of lifelong learning and the tangible benefits the arts provide both physically and mentally. This award seeks to recognize a Presbyterian Manor resident artist, with an emphasis on those who have rekindled their pursuit of artistic expression or discovered their talents after retiring and are actively creating works. Artists exploring different mediums are desired and age is a factor.

“The choice gets harder every year,” said Leslie Chaffin, corporate director of marketing for Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America. “We have many artists throughout our communities who are passionately pursuing and discovering their art.”


	Mary Kessler, 90, of Newton, KS

The Spirit of Art is Ageless Award is not judged by the competition judges, but by people knowledgeable about the purpose of Art is Ageless.

This year’s Spirit of Art is Ageless Award is shared by Vera Hamm, 91, of Dodge City, KS and Mary Kessler, 90, of Newton, KS.

Picture 3,120 soft, crocheted baby caps and you would understand how many little babies wore these caps home from the hospital, thanks to Vera Hamm. Presbyterian Manor of the Plains resident Vera Hamm has accomplished this major "project of love" for more than 20 years. She crochets the baby caps each week and gives them to Western Plains Regional Hospital to put on each newborn baby. She delivers the caps to the hospital and they are sterilized.

"I love making them and it is very relaxing for me." she says. "I used to be able to make one in about three hours. Now it takes me a little longer."

Ms. Hamm started as a hospital volunteer and says she fell into the baby cap-making business by accident. She arrives at the hospital every Tuesday morning to water patient's plants and flowers, and to visit with patients. She recently received a pin for donating more than 10,000 hours as a volunteer.

When notified that she had been selected for the award, Ms. Hamm said: "You don't deserve credit for anything you enjoy doing that much."

Spirit of Art is Ageless winner Mary Kessler, fills her days with volunteering and with perfecting her skills in needlework and painting. Ms. Kessler grew up in Manhattan, KS where her father was a professor at Kansas State University and her mother was also employed at the university. She met her husband Frank at K-State and they were married in 1941. She taught home economics until they moved to Newton in 1960, when Mr. Kessler was called to take over his father’s greens and livestock farm. When her two children reached school age, Ms. Kessler returned to teaching home economics in Newton Junior High School.

Ms. Kessler had made small projects during her years as a teacher and mother, but she didn't have the time to try major works until after moving to Presbyterian Manor in 2001. Ms. Kessler made her first full-sized quilt in 2001 and is now working on quilt number eight.

In the meantime, watercolor classes started on the Manor campus in late 2005, so at age 90, Mary decided to tackle a new challenge. An inspiring hobby was born.

Ms. Kessler's children live out of state but they have encouraged her work, helping her frame her paintings and put together a selection of her works for a show by the class at Carriage Factory Gallery in Newton.

She is a volunteer in the Apple-a-Day preschool program on the Manor campus, as well as at Newton Medical Center and with Piecemakers, a quilting group from Trinity Heights United Methodist Church. She enjoys the Tai Chi class in the wellness center to help her stay fit for her very active life.


Frances Reber, 91, of Topeka, KS

The runner up for the Spirit of Art is Ageless is Frances Reber, 91, of Topeka, KS. Growing up in a farm family in Rice County, Ms. Reber notes there were occasions when the children were allowed to set aside their chores and relax with handicrafts. Her mother was “very talented in many ways and liked to tat and crochet.” She notes that while she learned to crocheting, she was more interested in needlework such as embroidery and cross stitch. She joined a home demonstration club through the Extension Office where she could learn new techniques and teach needlework as well.

She was working at Kansas State University when she met Matthew Reber, who she married in 1940. After graduation, Mr. Reber secured a job as a production manager for drilling oil wells for a company in Tulsa, OK. His job took them different places in the United States and the world, including Algiers, Kenya and the Phillipines. They returned to Tulsa, Mr. Reber retired, and they later moved to Grove, OK. There, they took night classes to learn how to use a personal computer to pursue their interest in genealogy.

Ms. Reber has expanded her interest in handicrafts over the years, working in different mediums from crocheting to cross stitch and learned scrapbooking, which she worked on for several years. Her most recently learned craft is the art of folding ribbon. After receiving a Valentine from her niece, Ms. Reber was delighted to have her niece visit and teach her the art of ribbon folding during the summer of 2006.

Ms. Reber has used her new art to create handmade greeting cards, small pieces of art she shares with others. She notes that “this proves that a 91-year-old need not be idle or not be able to find something to keep from being bored.” She adds, regarding her pursuit of different handicrafts: “I just like to do it. I much prefer doing what I like to do rather than dishes or cleaning.” She moved to Presbyterian Manor of Topeka in 2003.

Art is Ageless began in 1980 as a competition for residents and employees throughout the Presbyterian Manors system to appear in an annual calendar. Since then, the competition has grown to encompass preliminary judging and exhibits at the local level with winners in each category sent via slide photography to the corporate office for final judging. In addition, arts programs to benefit residents at all levels have provided artistic outlets and therapeutic programs in several Manor locations.

To our knowledge, this is the oldest exhibit and competition exclusively for mature artists sponsored by a not-for-profit retirement community or group of communities.

Learn more about the history of Art is Ageless at Prebyterian Manors.

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