It’s the first National Day of Arts in Care Homes and we’re thrilled to announce that New Adventures will be one of the four new arts partners in Magic Me’s second Artists’ Residencies in Care Homes Project taking place across Essex. We will be working with residents at St. Fillans Care Home in Colchester.
Magic Me is the UK’s leading intergenerational arts charity, they work to bring together primary school children with older people living in care settings and the community to work with professional artists on creative projects.
We’re excited to work alongside St. Fillans Care Home residents as co-creators and collaborators rather than simply participants or audience.
We recognise the importance of using this art form to improve the health and well-being of those most vulnerable within our communities
Imogen Kinchin, Executive Director of New Adventures
The personal and societal benefits of older people’s participation in creative arts has been well evidenced by the recent Creative Journeys Research funded by Arts Council England.
This research conducted by Anglia Ruskin University focused on the benefits around social relationships between older people and between older people and care staff, and the wider community. The research indicated that the relationship between arts organisations, artists and care staff is key to the successful delivery of arts activities within residential care homes.
We hope that taking part in this project will build on the high-quality experiences that we aim to bring to older people taking part in our work at Farnham Maltings with Next Adventures and our workshops for over 55s.
Susan Langford, Director of Magic Me says:
“People over 75 are one of the most marginalized groups in terms of arts participation. Ageism is still rife and socially acceptable in a way that other prejudices are not, colouring the way older arts audiences are viewed as less important, not open to new work and even, not ‘on brand’ by some organisations. Thanks to funding from Paul Hamlyn Foundation this project can start to address these prejudices. I passionately believe that just because someone lives in a care home, they don’t stop being entitled to high quality arts and culture, or to a participative experience that is more than just something to pass the time.”
We’re excited to build a working relationship with the staff and residents at St. Fillans Care Home as we understand that this will be key to a successful delivery of high-quality arts activities within residential care homes.
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