When Nancy Schier-Anzelmo instructed her Gerontology 101 students to volunteer at the Ethel M. Hart Senior Center or the Triple ‘R’ Adult Day Center, she had no idea that one student would take the assignment to the next level.

Maria Cristina Falasci coordinated a one-day art show with works done by all older adults. About 43 pieces were displayed in the cafeteria of the Ethel M. Hart Senior Center on 27th Street Saturday afternoon.

Falasci said the goals of the event were to allow older adults the opportunity to express themselves through non-verbal communication, and to give elderly people who do not have the means or capability to travel, the chance to view fine art.

“Sacramento has a significant older adult population,” Falasci said. The display brings a little bit of Bay Area culture to Sacramento, she said.

A few of the featured artists are world renowned. Joe Cleary lent his sculpture, “Alamo,” to the exhibit, which depicts a young woman holding a saddle. Cleary is most known for his 30-foot winged goddess at the New Orleans Port Authority.

Bill Webber, the curator of the Brentwood Arts Commission, appeared at the show. He brought a portfolio of his work, and several of his paintings were on display.

“I wanted to help out any way that I could,” Webber said.

Also shown, was a photo of the Jazz Mural on the corner of Columbus and Broadway Streets in San Francisco that Webber and Tony Klaas has painted.

“It took me eight months to paint it in 1987,” Webber said. “I’m repainting it now due to fading.”

As Schier-Anzelmo walked around the make-shift gallery room with her daughters, she smiled proudly.

“It’s fantastic,” Schier-Anzelmo said. “I’m very proud of Cristina. She went way beyond the class assignment to create a fabulous project.”

Jamie Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]