We bring seniors together with professional artists to contribute creative work to their communities.

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

Current

With support from Arts & Health, a lead artist works with a community for 30 weeks a year, October to June, for a minimum of 2 years.

Active Alumni

Active Alumni groups have graduated out from Arts & Health financial support, but continue to work in their communities fully supported by community centres, their own grants, and/or participation fees. They stay connected to the Arts & Health network through our community of practice.

Tsleil-Waututh Nation

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

Creativity for Connection

Conference call programming at Carnegie Community Centre

Indigenous Beading Workshop

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

Stories of a Lifetime

Seniors and Elders come to listen, share and learn about storytelling and digital storytelling as an art form.

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

QUIRK-E stands for Queer Imaging and Riting Kollective for Elders, who have been meeting since 2006 to connect, care and create community.

The Moberly Senior Dancers and Golden Flying Dancers

This group of dancing women weaves connections across cultures.

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

This 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.

RayCam Seniors Story Sharing Circle

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

Express Your Voice Choir

The Express Your Voice Choir met 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 learned how to write, record, edit and present their own video footage

Britannia Elders Arts & H.A.T.T.A.

Elders at Britannia Community Centre making art that exploring West Coast Indigenous culture.

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.

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 consisted 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 had a simple yet profound purpose – to bring singing back into ordinary life, where it has always belonged.

Songful Sundays

A communal singing workshop led by professional artist Vanessa Richards.

Our Stories Through Plants

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

Sound & Song

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

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.

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