Arts Learning
ACHF Arts Education
Up to sixty older residents of three different Saint Paul senior apartment buildings will participate in two learning sessions that will culminate with a visit to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. 90% of all participants will report that they gained knowledge about the artworks studied, will have an increased sense of confidence around their ability to learn about the arts and be more likely to seek out future arts opportunities and will make new connections with fellow residents through their arts learning experience. One measure of success will be counting the number of older adults who participate in the learning sessions. A second measure will be the use of participant surveys completed at the end of the arts series which address the proposed outcomes.
Each of the three buildings where we hosted the series has its own unique community of tenants. Graham Place Apartments and the Weinberg Apartments are both buildings for older adult tenants only. Each has a large population of refugees from the former Soviet Union as well individuals who are African American and Caucasian. Montreal Hi-Rise hosts tenants who represent the populations of younger adults with disabilities as well as older adults. Our experience in each building was different. We had the most difficulty drawing participants at the Weinberg. That said, this was the building where we had participants from the former Soviet Union who spoke very limited English mingle together with older Caucasians. One of the Russian participants said "we never had anything like this in Russia!" A second participant commented "I've never seen her (fellow tenant) talk like this -- she is so excited." The Minneapolis Institute of Art docents noted sharing the art experience seemed to transcend language barriers and with the help of translators, all attendees were able to participate equally. At the Montreal Hi-Rise it was a very diverse group of younger disabled and older adults. Despite the physical and mental challenges several of the participants faced, the Minneapolis Institute of Art docents commented about how respectful and supportive the participants were of each other. This group consistently had the maximum number of participants attend. This was a "return appearance" at Graham Place of the Celebrating Life series, as Graham Place was the site of the pilot the previous summer. Several of the previous attendees came back for the series this year. This building had only older adults participate and lacked the most diversity within the group. This group was also well attended with maximum participation at each session. Things we would do differently: 1) We learned that it is important to have an identified champion(s) within each building. These champions can be building staff or tenants (who are seen as leaders in the building). We did not have a champion at the Weinberg, and therefore we were able to draw only 6 participants. When we go back next year, we will work with an identified, enthusiastic tenant to secure her assistance in promoting the event. We already have identified champions at the Montreal Hi-Rise and at Graham Place -- and securing attendance was not difficult at these two buildings. The docents determined that it is important to keep the size smaller -- to a maximum of 12 people -- in order for all participants to have the opportunity to share what they are learning and their arts experience. 2) Despite the enthusiasm for the culminating trip to Minneapolis Institute of Art, several participants cancelled at the last minute. Several said they were not feeling well enough to go; others expressed their anxiety about being able to navigate the museum, despite the assurances of the docents. Likely this will be a consistent problem in the future given the nature of this population. Twenty-nine older residents of three different St. Paul senior apartment buildings participated in two learning sessions that culminated in a visit to the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
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