Upcoming ARTmail Training

Healthcare staff, artists and anyone interested in arts for aging are encouraged to attend this interactive and fun training for the new ARTmail Project. You will engage in the art-making process and exchange with a partner while learning about the project goals, structure, method and materials. After lunch, you will also learn about a small scale study being published in the International Public Health Journal as well as options for future involvement in program research for those who are interested.

• What: ARTmail Training
• Where: Heritage Greens, 801 Meadowood St., Greensboro, NC 27409
• When: 1/31/2013 from  8:30am to 2pm
• Cost: $75 (includes Training Manual & Lunch) 
• Link: Registration  

See classes in session

Wonderful! Participants at all 6 sites are learning new skills and enjoying the process. Check it out!

ARTmail Starts This Week!

ARTmail starts this week in Guilford County! Material Kits (see photos below) have been put together and six sites have lots of excited older adults waiting to get creative! They include four from Adult Center for Enrichment (Bardolph, Caldwell House, Muir's Chapel and River Landing) as well as Friends Homes West and Providence Place. Check back soon to see photos from classes in progress!

Also check out the video at http://www.cca-nc.org/ccanc_specialevents.html.

Training Manual and Modules

The new ARTmail Training Manual is complete and the Modules are on their way.  Also stay tuned for a short video from participants of the original pilot run!

ARTmail is coming soon!!!

ARTmail is a project of the Center for Creative Aging North Carolina, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of older North Carolinians through the creative arts. This art exchange project uses the inside surface of a cardboard box as the canvas and the postal system as a means of exchanging the art between partners at participating sites. The pilot run of ARTmail (originally titled Parcel Post: Creative exchanges between older adults in North Carolina) was designed to bridge isolation, validate self-expression, promote creativity and connect elders of all ability levels living in rural parts of the state.

This newly revised model builds on what was learned from participants in the original program and expands opportunities to include older people of all ability levels across the state. Five Modules will be available including: Active & Independent, Alzheimer’s/Dementia, Caregivers, Cultural and Intergenerational. Through active engagement, participants will learn new skills, develop relationships and increase their understanding of the value of the creative process.

The art form introduced in this project is Abstract Expressionism. This movement, like many other modern movements, does not describe any one particular style, but rather a particular outlook characterized by a belief in the freedom of expression. In using Abstract Expressionism, ARTmail is designed to encourage freedom of expression and creative growth for people with a wide range of skill and comfort levels.

Check back with us soon to learn how you can get involved in ARTmail!