LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Teenager Amy Huerta was visiting the Iroquois Library in Louisville with her mom when she stumbled upon a free art exhibit, A Colorful Life: Elder Prints.

“It shows I think a lot of diversity, and it’s really colorful, and it really looks like her so I think it’s really nice,” Huerta commented when looking at a particular portrait of a woman wearing an al-amira or a two-piece veil.

The exhibit features self-portraits made by Kentucky-based refugees over the age of 60. The elders took part in a course, offered in partnership with the Speed Art Museum and Kentucky Refugee Ministries’ Louisville Refugee Elder Program. The eight-week course was funded by Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Aroha Philanthropies’ Seeding Vitality in the Arts initiative, which aims to “empower older adults to discover their capabilities and form meaningful connections within their communities.”

Participants learned printmaking, and the final project was to make a self-portrait using only four colors, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The style is often seen in propaganda posters, but this time the technique was used for self-expression.

“That ability to spotlight the program…and continue to have pride in the elders…because that dynamic changes when you get to the country, and they lose a lot of that esteem that they once had,” explained Immigrant Services Librarian, Sophie Maier. “So programs like this are of great value on many levels.”

Originally from Cuba, Dioeñis Espinosa Cutino left for political reasons. Previously an economist who studied at the University of Havana, Cutino said the art classes brought back some memories.

“This brings [back] memories from my childhood, especially when I was in elementary school. My teacher, we used to do these types of classes,” the 78-year-old said via a translator. “These lessons are very meaningful. Every picture has a special meaning,” Cutino told Spectrum News 1.

A Colorful Life: Elder Prints is on display until Saturday, August 31, 2019 at the Iroquois Library in Louisville. For more information visit the event’s page.