Participating in creative arts practice builds better health in older adults. Professional artists work collaboratively with seniors and Elders, facilitating the expression of participants’ knowledge and life experiences. Together artists and participants dance, sing, write, draw, paint, weave, and develop art projects of all kinds.
Programs are delivered by organizations with close ties to the community and mandates focused on health, community recreation, and art participation, in partnership with the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation and Vancouver Coastal Health.
Arts and Health provides a forum for expression, communication, exploration and imagination, which in turn fosters an improved sense of health, well-being, and belonging.
Arts & Health Showcase 2017 from Arts & Health on Vimeo.
Artists typically meet with a local group of seniors and Elders once a week for 30 weeks, between October and June.
A year-end exhibition and gala showcase all the seniors' work annually. The project sites also organize local exhibition and performance opportunities throughout the program season.
The Arts and Health Community of Practice provides professional development and capacity building opportunities for our team of artists and site staff, who meet to share successes, challenges, ideas, and to analyze their work. These collegial gatherings are an important support for the project leaders, who each work at different sites with different senior groups.
Together we are growing a network knowledgeable in community engaged arts practice for seniors and Elders.
If you are a Vancouver senior with a low income, you may qualify for access to basic recreation programs and facilities at reduced or no cost.