Grandparent Profile: Barbara Sklar

I was born in Scranton, a small mining town in northeastern Pennsylvania. My father was from New York City, so we visited that magical city many times. My experiences there led me to want to see much more of the world.

 

I showed an early interest in drawing and painting, but I also loved being with younger children, which led me to babysitting and working with children’s groups as a pre-teen and teenager. I loved painting and drawing through elementary school and high school and considered going to art school. The two strands ran throughout my life.

 

After graduating from Ohio State University with a major in Early Childhood Development, I moved to Cleveland, Ohio, to work with children with emotional issues. I also continued to attend art classes and paint in a studio throughout the years. I met and married my husband Richard in Cleveland, and our three children were born there: Eric, Marc, and Pamela (Audrey’s mother).

 

I received a master's degree from Case Western Reserve in Public and Social Administration and became involved in the field of Aging (Gerontology). Shortly after completing my degree, we moved to San Francisco. I served as creator, consultant, and Director of Geriatric Programs at Mt. Zion Hospital and Medical Center. I was also President of the Board of The National Council on Aging and founder of the National Institute of Adult Day Care. I served on the Board of Council of International Programs, The Millennium Committee of the Arts in Embassies, the United Nations Artists Group. My volunteer work continues today as I currently serve on the San Francisco Art Commission, Burke's Grandparents' Council, and Delancey Street Foundation.

 

Aside from work throughout the years, I still wanted to be an artist so when I was 50 years old, I became a full-time artist. I studied part-time at the Cleveland Institute of Art, UC Berkeley, and the Art Students League. From 1991-1995, I attended the Royal Watercolor Society’s annual workshops for professionals. My works are in public, corporate, and private collections throughout the United States and in Europe. I have exhibited in galleries in California, Hawaii, Ohio, New York, Washington, D.C., Rome and Florence, Italy, and Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

 

The latter was a result of my husband Richard being named in 1996 as the President’s Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina for the reconstruction of the country. I went as an employee of the United States Information Agency. It was a devastated country — the electricity, water supply, and transportation systems were all destroyed. I worked as a cultural officer with a team of Americans and Bosnians. We helped reopen schools, monitor the first Democratic election, and provide cultural events and experiences. We worked with Disney to provide children’s films in open-air theaters during the first summer after the siege. It was a difficult but rewarding experience. We left Bosnia as my husband was appointed an Ambassador to the United Nations in New York. That too was an amazing experience. With spouses from more than 100 countries, we were involved presenting the art of our countries at various events at the UN.

 

Our last assignment was in Rome where I again found a place to use my abilities. Besides serving as a hostess for diplomats from many countries, I worked as a volunteer at La Stelletta. It is a ceramic studio day program for mentally challenged young adults. I helped them with developing new designs and taught English, and they taught me techniques in ceramic painting and helped to improve my Italian.

 

After returning to San Francisco, I have had many opportunities to again work with art and children. I have done and continue to do art projects with my six grandchildren both at home and in their schools.