Kentucky Arts Council Arts Access Assistance Grant

The Louisville Refugee Elder Program has been awarded an Arts Access Assistance Grant through a program of the Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, which is supported by state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Because of this grant, the elders were able to do many exciting activities throughout this past year!

Storytelling Sessions with Cynthia Changaris

Throughout September and October, a local storytelling artist, Cynthia Changaris, visited the program several times. She taught the elders about the importance of the art of storytelling, whether that be their own life stories or folklore from their cultures. She taught them how music or poetry can also be storytelling art. The elders loved hearing her stories from American culture and other cultures around the world, and they loved getting up in front of their peers and sharing stories or songs from their own cultures.

Cynthia telling a tale from American culture!

Squallis Puppeteers

In November, Squallis Puppeteers led a workshop called “World of Puppetry,” in which they shared about puppet traditions in the United States and around the globe. After the presentation, Squallis Puppeteers taught the elders how to make finger puppets!

The large Abraham Lincoln puppet was a favorite among the elders!

Art Therapy with Joyce

In addition to these special sessions, Joyce Ogden continued to visit every other week and lead art therapy for small groups. The elders love Joyce and she does many wonderful projects with them!

Dharmanada and Joyce showing off a bag he created!

Another one of Dharmananda, holding a drawing he created of a Bhutanese man doing the traditional greeting where you fold your hands together, bow a little bit and say "Namaste!"

Carnegie Center

In February, we visited the Carnegie Center, a history and art museum in New Albany, Indiana. Here they learned about the Underground Railroad, and saw a video about a former slave named Jacob who crossed the Ohio River from Louisville to New Albany on his way to freedom. The elders enjoyed this video very much and had many questions about the Underground Railroad. They identified well with the struggle for freedom. On the bus ride back to Louisville, Jose, one of the Cuban elders, was talking about Jacob's story and realized that this man had received his freedom, just like he, too, had received his freedom from persecution upon arriving in the United States!

Elders looking at photos and small models of what American life was like back in the Underground Railroad days.

After watching the video, one of the Carnegie Center staff answered the many questions that the elders had about the Underground Railroad!

Mural Project

Throughout March and April, we worked with a local muralist artist, Tara Remington, in order to plan and create a large mural representing the Elder Program. Americana Community Center donated a 30-foot wall in their Adult Education wing for the us paint! Many of the elders have family members and friends that attend classes at Americana, and painting a mural there gave them a sense of pride and accomplishment!

Planning the mural:

Wafiqa and Abdel, working on mural plans!

Nsanzabandi and his interpreter, Alexis, drawing flags from the Democratic Republic and the Congo and Rwanda!

Hong drawing the Vietnam flag!

Gobinda and Sekhar drawing some designs and patterns from Bhutan!

Painting the Mural!

The elders had a GREAT time painting the mural and are so proud of their work! If you're ever near Americana, you should go to the third floor to check it out!

Thanks again to the Kentucky Arts Council for making this all possible!