GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Angela Swan, an artist from Grand Rapids, began Get Gorgeous in June, traveling to local senior living centers to bring them a fashion photoshoot.
"They are transformed in a way sometimes that they don't recognize themselves in their pictures," said Swan.
Having been a life enrichment professional for the past 10 years, Swan says the idea came about while she was working at a senior living center in Rockford, where her and her coworkers organized a runway fashion show for the community.
"We were thinking about doing that again, and the elders that I work with, they were not comfortable walking. A lot of them have walkers, and we wanted to include people in wheelchairs too," said Swan. "So we decided to do a fashion shoot instead."
With Iris Apfel as their inspiration, Swan and her co-workers took the opportunity to get the seniors involved in creating their own jewelry as well. Swan says the fashion shoot was a huge success, as they then held a gallery inviting family members.
"I just decided, you know what, this is really a superpower, and I'd like to do this like full time," said Swan.
Combining her passions for sculpturing, photography, and seniors, she now creates bigger-than-life jewelry for the seniors to wear, giving them a fashion makeover, and adding to what they already wear.
Props are made from regular household items, necklaces made of inserts from boxes of chocolate, and her clothing selection features many upcycled items.
She then tops off their looks with a pair of glasses, using the crowd of peers and staff to help them pick.
"I don't have any mirrors," said Swan. "They don't get to see themselves, so they have to again, trust me."
Putting them then in front of her camera, Swan says those who sometimes start out hesitant and nervous, then "come alive."
"A lot of seniors, they isolate in these retirement communities. They maybe don't want to be there," said Swan. "Get Gorgeous just comes in and reminds them how much life and personality that they've always had. I think they need help remembering."
Swan also adds that the portrait are also available for family members to keep, and she provides prints to the communities so they can display their members.
"It comes down to love," said Swan. "I'm giving them a measure of love, and they're loving themselves, and the staff really cheers them on, and so I help them remember how wonderful they are."
"They're big, they're beautiful, and they're gorgeous."
