Garden Path Elder Living recently received a Creative Aging Grant award from the Vermont Arts Council. The grant will fund the "Wisdom in Our Community" program for residents at Bradley House, Garden Path's Level III Residential Care Home.
The Wisdom in Our Community program consists of arts-based projects that elicit personal and family stories. The program will be led by teaching artist Susan Rosano, who will provide arts instruction and memory prompts to the residents.
Participants will learn how to make a poem out of a short story and how to create a watercolor splash painting to illustrate their poems. Rosano will also teach simple drawing skills, so elders can create a poster illustrating the path of their life. In addition, participants will explore collage to tell a personal or family story.
Each class will end with snacks as opportunities for residents to socialize. The class will meet for eight weekly sessions in the art room at Bradley House.
All materials funded by the grant will become part of the art room's creative supplies, including a dedicated computer printer and small laptop to type and print the poems, stories, and watercolors by residents.
For more information about this and other programs at Bradley House, contact Michael Jones, Garden Path activities director, at mike@gardenpathelderliving.org.
Bradley House is a licensed, nonprofit residential care home with more than 50 years of experience serving elders in Brattleboro. To learn more about programming at Bradley House, visit gardenpathelderliving.org.
This The Arts item was submitted to The Commons.