From Art Student to Exhibitor at the Museum of the City of New York

Ms. Judy Brandon is a volunteer and class participant at East Side House’s Older Adult Center, where she brings her unique perspective to art and photography classes and champions youth mentorship programs. After leaving South Carolina, she arrived in the Bronx at the age of eight, accompanied by her mother and two sisters, with a limited knowledge of English.

Married for 44 years,  Ms. Judy takes pride in being a mother of four, a grandmother of 18, and a great-grandmother of one. At the Older Adult Center, she plays a vital role in the activity planning committee, contributing to organizing celebrations and activities. Recognizing the wealth of wisdom among older adult members, she has championed programs that enable older adults to mentor community youths. She is an avid learner, always eager to participate in the wide range of  activities and classes offered at the Older Adult Center. She is particularly passionate about photography. Through these classes, she sharpened her photography skills—and even exhibited one of her photographs at the Museum of the City of New York. 

She is deeply passionate about art and culture and explores different countries and cultures through the other available courses. In addition to the cultural programming, she has taken advantage of the Older Adult Center’s myriad resources. In 2019, with the assistance of social workers, she completed an application to secure new housing. “I love coming to the center and learning about other people, where they came from, their cultures, and traditions,” she says. “I’ve been able to try foods I have never had before during celebrations.”