Projects

Arts & Health was designed to address the gap between the existing supports available for older adults in recreation facilities and those within the health care system, as well as to address the need for a new generation of programming that meets the needs and expectations of a growing older adult population.

Our project models are designed to support the establishment of new programming with both financial and administrative help as well as professional development opportunities for project staff. The ongoing community of practice mixes the new sites with experienced sites to support cross fertilization across programs.

Project Types

1 year

The 1 year model runs in three 10 week sessions from Fall to early Summer, with one Lead Artist following our 10 week curriculum.

3 year

In this deep dive model, a Lead Artist and Artist Intern work with a community for 30 weeks a year over three years.

Tsleil-Waututh Nation

Elders work in exploring traditional culture & designs, focusing on creating contemporary works that reflect traditional designs.

Sound & Song

Located at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre, this singing group explores how sound changes us over time.

Creativity for Connection

Conference call programming at Carnegie Community Centre

RayCam Seniors Story Sharing Circle

Gathering together, seniors listen and share with each other in conversational storytelling circles.

Indigenous Beading Workshop

A new project that shares the tradition of beadwork, a way of cultural preservation and empowerment.

The Queer Imaging & Riting Kollective for Elders (Quirk-e)

At Britannia Community Centre in Vancouver, this group consists of seniors that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. They call themselves Quirk-e, the Queer Imaging and Riting Kollective for Elders. Claire Robson, the project's lead artist, sees the work of Quirk-e as a practice of recollection and storytelling.

Britannia Elders Arts

Elders at Britannia Community Centre work with community engaged artists making art that explores West Coast Indigenous culture.

Collaborative Creative Dance for Older Adults at Aberthau/West Point Grey

This new dance group is exploring collaboration and contemporary dance making.

Collaborative Creative Dance for Older Adults at Trout Lake

Explore movement and dance making with collaborative creative dance.

Improv Theatre for Older Adults

Jump in and collaborate with others to create spontaneous theatre.

Express Your Voice Choir

Borne out of Arts and Health in 2009, the Express Your Voice Choir met weekly, September through June for over six years. Their music was composed of vocal improvisation, bodywork, breathing, and composition.

Renfrew Collingwood Seniors Adult Day Centre

Inspired by the lead artist Carmen Rosen’s interest in creating art with natural dyes, this group created beautiful fabric art in cotton, felt, and silk, experimenting with natural dye textile techniques.

Digital Storytelling Project

Seniors learn how to write, record and edit their own video footage and then present their videos to their family, friends and the community.

The Vancouver Downtown Eastside Elder Dancers

In partnership with the Carnegie Centre and Karen Jamieson Dance Society, the workshop engaged seniors living in the Downtown Eastside in community dance workshops.

The Moberly Senior Dancers

This group of dancing women weaves connections across cultures. With representation from the South Asian, Chinese and Philippine communities, diversity is integral and provides many opportunities for learning.

Renfrew Park Community Centre

Each year the seniors explored different visual mediums to further the group's experimentation with composition, design, and colour.

Strathcona Puppet Theatre

Located in Strathcona Community Centre in Vancouver this group consists of Chinese speaking elders who work with a professional theatre artist and puppeteer, and translator.

Backpocket Songs

More campfire than cantata, The Backpocket Song Project has a simple yet profound purpose – to bring singing back into ordinary life, where it has always belonged.

Songful Sundays

All voices are welcome in this new communal singing workshop led by professional artist Vanessa Richards.

Our Stories Through Plants

This group is explored local plants and visual arts for story telling and sharing.

Song Sharing Thursdays

A weekly gathering sharing songs, stories, and each other's company at Douglas Park Community Centre.

Moving Stories: Dance for Older Adults

Moving Stories offers older adults and Elders of all ages and abilities a space to gather, move together, and share stories.

The Moberly Writers & Storytellers

Pilot conference call programming at Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre

Stone Soup

Stone Soup is a community project creating a feast of stories and food.