Arts and Wellness
wellness through the arts
Using the arts as a platform for social connection and community engagement, Joy for Seniors promotes dignity, health, and well-being among low-income, disabled seniors living in Austin care facilities. Our activities include onsite group arts classes led by professional artists, outreach events generating public awareness about the needs of seniors in our community, and an annual art exhibition celebrating senior participants and their accomplishments.
More than an arts program, Joy for Seniors is a meaningful, community-focused endeavor promoting intergenerational social connection, volunteerism, and community engagement to support the most vulnerable members in our society.
Make Art with Seniors
Members of the public are welcome (and encouraged!) to visit our program and enjoy making art with local seniors during our group arts classes at select care facilities. These visits are a refreshing break from the routine and an opportunity for seniors to connect with members of the outside community.
(No previous arts experience necessary.)
Become a Partner Facility
We partner with long-term senior care facilities in the Austin area, including nursing homes, retirement centers, and skilled nursing wings, to provide in-person group arts classes to low-income and disabled senior residents.
Teach an Arts Class
We hire local professional artists to lead arts classes onsite in selected senior care facilities. Artist instructors are supported with training and class assistance to ensure instruction is accessible and adaptable for senior participants.
Program Impact
Meaningful impacts in 2024
Seniors served through in-person arts programs in Austin
Hours of free arts classes provided to low-income seniors in Austin
Hours of volunteer service directly benefiting local seniors
Real Impacts on the Lives of Seniors
In 2023, with the support of grant funding from Texas Commission on the Arts, we embarked on an initiative to provide beneficial arts programs to seniors in low-income care facilities in Austin. Over the past two years, the program has expanded beyond arts classes to include an annual seniors’ art exhibition and public outreach endeavors promoting volunteerism and generating greater public awareness about the needs of seniors in our community.
Read more about the impacts of the program over the past year in our Joy for Seniors Program Impacts Report.
