VI Council on the Arts Secures New Funding for Creative Aging Program

Virgin Islands Council on the Arts

The Virgin Islands Council on the Arts recently secured funding from a national grant program to advance creative aging programs for older adults in the Virgin Islands, according to Commissioner Jean-Pierre L. Oriol of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources.

Recognizing that older adults have many contributions to make to their communities – but that they often face ageism and isolation and have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 – Virgin Islands Council on the Arts sought funding from the Leveraging State Investments in Creative Aging program, a joint initiative of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and Aroha Philanthropies. Virgin Islands Council on the Arts secured $23,000 for its project “Seniors Staying Connected.”

“NASAA is proud to have the Virgin Islands in our creative aging cohort,” said Pam Breaux, NASAA president and CEO. “This grant will help to grow opportunities for creative aging in the Virgin Islands over time, facilitating lifelong learning, joy, social engagement and improved well-being for older adults.”

“Aroha Philanthropies is proud to partner with NASAA to support creative aging through our state and jurisdictional arts agencies,” said Ellen Michelson, founder and president of the foundation. “This initiative marks an important step toward broadened awareness, adoption and funding of creative aging programs across the country.”

The Virgin Islands Council on the Arts is one of 36 state arts agencies receiving awards from NASAA. With this funding, each state will conduct creative aging activities tailored to the unique needs of its constituents. Activities will include a series of both virtual/live workshops that incorporate a variety of arts and crafts, dance and visual arts bolstering existing creative aging programs, supporting artist residencies, providing professional development for teaching artists, developing creative aging communities of practice, providing direct programming to older adult audiences, cultivating creative aging partnerships and more.

For information about new creative aging activities taking place in the Virgin Islands, contact Jaria Lynch at 774-5984.

For more information about NASAA’s Leveraging State Investments in Creative Aging initiative, visit https://nasaa-arts.org/communication/new-initiative-expands-creative-aging-nationwide/.