When John Pound is hanging art in the hallways at Horizon House, something happens. “You’re hanging art outside in the hallway, and all of a sudden, everybody’s there,” he says. As neighbors emerge from their apartments, the art-fueled conversations begin.

“An art object is just an object,” explains John, who heads up Horizon House’s Art Committee. “The real art is the interaction that happens around it.”

This Seattle retirement community has discovered something special about art in retirement communities: it’s not about what’s hanging on the walls, but what happens when people gather around it. Through intergenerational art experiences and senior living art programs, Horizon House creates connections that span generations.

How Art Rebels Built a Culture

As you might expect in a community of people who came of age in the 60s, Horizon House’s art story began with rule-breaking. “My understanding is they did not have any decoration on the walls,” John explains. “In fact, they sort of had a policy against it.” But independent thinkers will do what independent thinkers do, and the revolution had begun.

The real transformation came when Phyllis Lamphere moved in. She’d been on Seattle City Council and created the city’s “One Percent For The Arts” program. “There was no way we were not going to have an art program once she was here,” John says with a knowing smile. “You did not deny Phyllis what she wanted.”

Since around 2000, residents have run their own Art Committee with seven different activity groups. They organize monthly lectures, museum tours, and the beloved “Picture of the Month” program. It’s all volunteer-driven, John notes: “It’s a very organic thing. It wasn’t created by staff. It just evolved from people who care.”

The Art of Finding Your Tribe

John’s own story shows how art creates instant recognition. “I had no particular creative talent, but was always interested in art,” he reflects. When he and his wife toured Horizon House in 2017, they looked around at the collection and thought, “I think there are like-minded people here.”

That feeling hits newcomers too. Lucas Pinaire, a 21-year-old art major doing a summer internship from Whitman College, felt it immediately. “By the end of my first week, I felt as if I’d been a part of the community for months,” he says. He’s helping digitize the collection, which numbers more than 800 pieces—”There are masterpieces from celebrity artists and watercolors from residents alike,” he observes. “Just like the people here, the art at Horizon House feels very approachable.”

This intergenerational art exchange isn’t forced—it just happens when you put curious people around interesting things in the right Life Plan Community.

Senior Living Art Programs That Build Community

The collection grows through donations and bequests from residents who wanted to share pieces they’d lived with and loved. It creates what John calls “an eclectic mix that falls somewhere between a gallery, museum, and a private collection.”

Even the hallway art tells personal stories. The Art Committee spent 18 months refreshing the art on 19 different floors, including pieces collected by residents. “We allow folks to hang up to three personal pieces right outside their apartment doors,” John explains. “It’s a way of extending their stories into the community. We had to develop some policies,” John admits, laughing. “You find that you have to be something of a diplomat.”

The “Picture of the Month” program brings special pieces from private collections into common areas temporarily, complete with stories about what each piece means to its owner. These senior living art programs do something simple but powerful: they help neighbors know each other in deeper ways.

When Famous Artists Were Neighbors

Some of the most meaningful pieces come from residents who happened to be accomplished artists. Jacob Lawrence—yes, that Jacob Lawrence, whose migration series documented the Great Migration—lived at Horizon House and left behind lithographs. Doris Chase, the pioneering video artist who helped define Seattle’s contemporary art scene, was a resident too.

“She was tremendously creative,” John recalls about Chase. Her groundbreaking video art “just blew people’s minds at the time.” These weren’t just artists who happened to live here—they were cultural figures who chose this Life Plan Community and kept contributing to its creative legacy.

Connecting with the Seattle Art Community

Monthly lectures bring the Seattle art community inside, with University of Washington faculty, practicing artists, and curators sharing their work. These connections showcase how art in retirement communities can bridge the broader cultural landscape. QR codes now accompany many pieces, letting visitors dive deeper into the stories.

Every March brings the annual art show. The 2025 Fiber Arts Showcase featured forty residents and employees, plus a collaborative piece where Seattle artist Megan Prince worked with donated fabrics while residents contributed hand-looped materials. “I remember walking into that display and thinking, this is gallery-quality stuff,” John says. “You discover that your neighbors are fine potters or photographers.”

It’s all part of Horizon House’s robust cultural programming that encourages lifelong learning rather than exclusively passive entertainment.

A Growing Indigenous Art Collection

The Indigenous art collection has become a particular point of pride. A recent donation—a moon carving surrounded by 30 crescent moons—now anchors a community gathering space, with two carved paddles crossed above it. “It’s quite a striking display,” John says. Nearby, you’ll find works by Pacific Northwest artists like David Boxley, Gary Rice, and Walton Butts, reflecting the region’s rich Indigenous artistic traditions.

Urban Senior Living That Welcomes All Art Lovers

Here’s what surprises people most about art in retirement communities like Horizon House: you don’t need artistic credentials to participate. “You don’t have to be highly creative to get involved with art here,” John explains. “It’s a much broader thing than simply making art yourself.”

The whole point, he says, is “to stimulate engagement of residents with the art and with each other.” Sometimes that starts with criticism. “Many conversations start with, ‘I hate that!'” John admits. “And sometimes those are the best conversations we have.”

A Living Legacy—and a Welcome Invitation

As Horizon House prepares its West Tower expansion, the Art Committee faces decisions about how to maintain the collection’s organic feel while creating space for fresh contributions. Some current pieces represent residents who died 20 years ago, yet their aesthetic choices still shape daily life.

Life at Horizon House is about more than just urban senior living—it’s about carrying on a creative legacy where individual taste contributes to collective culture.

John puts it best: “Art at Horizon House is an experience more than a set of things. Our whole message to people interested in living here is that the experience can involve them as well.”Ready to explore a senior living community where creativity is shared, celebrated, and constantly evolving? Call Horizon House at 206-382-3100 and schedule a visit.