About the Exhibition:   

CelebratEArts is an annual arts festival celebrating the creative works of Older New Yorkers who bring color, creativity, and compassion to our community through their varied artistic endeavors. This year’s festival theme—Aging Unbound—offers us an opportunity to explore diverse aging experiences and to recognize how we all benefit when older adults remain engaged, independent, and included. All month long we are proud to showcase art from older adult members of the Weinberg Center for Balanced Living, Sirovich Center for Balanced Living, Co-Op Village NORC, Project ORE, and 14th Street Y.  

This virtual gallery exhibits the work of our Creative Arts Therapy classes. Creative Arts Therapy is a mental health field that explores art as a means of healing and making connections as well as maintaining a holistic approach to wellness. Led by graduate interns from Pratt Institute (Candice Chung, Ai Hayatsu, Vivien Huang, and Rachel Woelfel), classes use art as a therapeutic tool that emphasizes process over product. Through art-making, members reflect, build confidence, connect, express, and develop a stronger sense of community.  
 
Creative Arts Therapy Programming 2022-2023: 

• Healing the Inner Child Group 

• Art Expressions Group (Virtual)  

• Art Expression Group (Project Ore)   

• Doodles and Design Group  

• Create and Relate Group  

• Watercolor Group  

• Open Painting Studio   

• Visual Narrative Group  

• Everyday Objects in Art Group  

• Expressive Self-Portrait Group  

• Life in Patterns Group  

In addition, independent submissions from members of our virtual and hybrid arts programs are featured. Through remote learning, Educational Alliance has helped homebound New Yorkers, as well as those relocating from their neighborhoods as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, remain engaged with their peers and connected to the communities they still call home.