Community Arts
Community Arts
Engaging Low-Income Seniors in the Arts Funding for CommonBond to partner with EngAGE, an organization in California that is expanding to Minnesota, to offer new arts programming for seniors at CommonBond's Maplewood facility. The program, consisting of three series of classes, will run from September 2017 - April 2018.
Julie Andersen: Eagan Art House Executive Director; Bethany Brunsell: Music teacher, performer; Shelly Chamberlain: Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Operations Director; Marisol Chiclana-Ayla: Artist, Board Chair at El Arco Iris; Jamil Jude: Theatre artist; Tricia Khutoretsky: Public Functionary Curator and Co-Director; Peter Leggett: Walker West Music Academy Executive Director; Dayna Martinez: Ordway Center for the Performing Arts; Coleen McLaughlin: Arts Midwest Director of External Relations; Tom Moffatt: Silverwood Park Supervisor; Osman Mohamed Ali: Somali Museum of Minnesota Founder and Executive Director; Kathy Mouacheupao: Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support, Corporation Cultural Corridor Coordinator; Adam Napoli-Rangel: Artist; Heather Rutledge: ArtReach Saint Croix Executive Director; Djenane Saint Juste: Afoutayi Dance Company Founder; Andrea Sjogren: Hopkins Public Schools Youth Programs Coordinator; Dameun Strange: Composer, Performer; Melissa Wright: Twin Cities Public Television.
Robert Cuerden: Audience development, marketing, fundraising, organizational, development, planning; Janet Fried: Artistic, education; Laura Krider: General management, administration, artistic; Vong Lee: Artistic, youth programming, community service, development; Anna Min: Audience development, marketing, organizational development; Noel Nix: Community service, development, general administration, organizational development; Nasibu Sareva: General administration, fundraising, community service, development; Joyce Strand: Youth programming; Joko Sutrisno: Artistic, education, audience development, marketing, general administration.
ACHF Arts Access
We will consider our project successful if we succeed in engaging 25 seniors in the project. Target outcomes, to be measured through pre- and post-surveys, include: 50% of seniors report reduced feelings of isolation. 50% of seniors report increased social connections. 50% report more frequently exploring and discovering their creativity. 50% report more frequently attending a class or group that provides opportunity for learning a new skill. The project will be evaluated with a pre/post participant survey, developed with the help of EngAGE staff, that asks questions such as: How would you report your overall health? How often do you feel isolated? How would you describe your energy level? How many weekly opportunities for social connections do you currently have? How often do you explore and discover your creativity? We will also ask residents informally for feedback on their experience.
The most significant outcomes we saw as a result of the project were increased social connections and more frequent exploration of creativity. All participants agreed that the classes had improved their creative expression, and between 83% and 100% reported an increase in their skills in the art form. All also reported an increase in their interest in learning more about the art form.
Other, local or private