Case Studies
Visual Art Residency for Seniors Citizens
This fiber arts residency brought a quilter together with the seniors at Rye Manor Residence. Residencies at senior sites encourage social interaction and communication as well as skill building in the arts. The seniors at Rye Manor were exposed to a new arts and cultural experience, teaching them the visual history of quilting while fostering socialization and building a sense of community within the place they reside.
Site: Rye Manor Senior Residence
Age Group: Seniors
Artist: Randy Frost
> Click here for the details on the residency
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Performing Art Residency for Children
This performing arts residency brought a musician to the Coachman Family Center in White Plains. Children from the Center sang folk songs about respecting each other and thinking globally. Through music, children learned about positive peer interaction, and built self esteem while engaging in the history of folk song. The residency encouraged students to discover and utilize their creative abilities to solve problems, get along with others and recognize their own strengths.
Site: Coachman Family Center, White Plains
Age Group: 8-15yrs
Artist: Matthew Turk
> Click here for the details on the residency
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Literary and Visual Arts Residency for Adults with Mental Disabilities
Clients at Pathways were given a place to express themselves through ekphrastic writing in a safe and supportive environment. Ekphrastic writing connects word and image, linking writing in response to visual art. While some participants were artists and writers, others discovered their creativity for the first time. Using self expression as a tool for recovery, this residency provided an opportunity to individuals dealing with the challenges of mental illness to participate in a normalizing experience with their peers as they learned techniques in creative writing and the visual arts.
Site: Pathways to Housing, Mount Vernon
Age Group: Adults with Mental Disabilities
Artist: Karen Sevell Greenbaum
> Click here for the details on the residency
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Visual Art Residency for Children
Students in the after-school program at Martin Luther King School (MLK) worked with artist Yardena Youner to produce the set design and props for their annual spring performance. Students in the stage crew of the production researched Middle Eastern architecture, viewed the play rehearsals and developed set plans and props for the various scenes of the production, Aladdin. Students worked as a team to develop ideas, share responsibilities, and encourage one another as they worked to design this cohesive set. The residency brought together ArtsWestchester’s teaching artist and MLK’s art teacher to form a strong partnership which encouraged positivity, self-confidence and team work while bringing the school community together.
Site: Martin Luther King School, Yonkers
Age Group: 5th – 6th grade
Teacher: Beth Kroupa
Artist: Yardena Youner
> Click here for the details on the residency
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Visual Art Residency for Seniors Citizens
Visual artist Vicky Youngman worked with seniors of Washington House in series of seven mini workshops in the medium of ceramics. Through sculpting clay and glazing, Vicky conducted the residency with the goals to encourage socialization amongst the seniors, expose them to the various techniques and materials utilized in ceramic art and to improve their dexterity. Seniors also learned about traditional Greek and African masks and created their own interpretation of a mask. Throughout the residency, seniors began feeling a sense of accomplishment in their work, were excited about the challenges of using clay and felt a better sense of camaraderie with their peers.
Site: Washington House, New Rochelle
Age Group: Seniors
Artist: Vicky Youngman
> Click here for the details on the residency
