Arts for Good Fellows Discuss Using Art to Engage Seniors

“The energy in the room was so special,” remarked Ms Jasmin Wong, a Singaporean participant, when the Arts for Good (A4G) Fellows met in Singapore from 22 to 26 January 2024. The five-day programme was part of the A4G Fellowship 2023, which also comprised an online segment from 4 October to 1 December 2023.

Ms Nino Gvasalia, a Fellow from Georgia echoed Ms Wong’s sentiments. She said: “The Fellowship has connected me to many like-minded peers. After three months of interacting virtually, I am so glad that we finally got to meet in person. It is amazing to be in the same room with Fellows from all over the world who share the same mission of doing good through the arts.”

The A4G Fellowship is organised yearly to foster a community of practice that harnesses the power of arts and culture to create positive change. Since 2017, the Fellowship has brought together 190 Fellows across 28 countries. The Fellows comprised mostly artists, art administrators, and social sector professionals. The 2023 cohort also included representatives from Argentina and Georgia for the first time.

Ms Agnes Seng Sam, a Myanmarese Fellow, said: “The programme united like-minded individuals from different cultural and professional backgrounds. This helped us to appreciate shared values, enhance mutual understanding and gain new perspectives on the unique intersection between the arts and social issues.”

The Fellows met organisations which focus on the elderly, such as Singapore’s Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) and Care Corner CREST and discussed challenges in caring for seniors. They also visited the National Museum of Singapore, the National Gallery Singapore and The Artground – Singapore’s first multi-disciplinary children's arts centre. At each of these organisations, the Fellows explored ways to engage seniors meaningfully, support those with dementia, and promote intergenerational interaction through the arts.

Mr Sormanak En, a Cambodian Fellow, said: “I gained many insights on the challenges faced by seniors in Singapore, and their caregivers, from the organisations. It was very interesting to hear how Singapore has leveraged the arts to address some of these challenges. This has inspired me to think about how I can engage seniors in Cambodia through the arts too.”

The programme included talks by A4G alumni. A4G Fellow 2022 Keng Hao Chew, for instance, spoke about how virtual reality could help foster deeper relationships between seniors and their caregivers, and spark meaningful intergenerational conversations.

A4G alumnus 2019 Neil Chan introduced Fellows to Memories Café, a programme by Dementia Singapore that fosters connection between dementia patients and their caregivers. They saw first-hand how music provided a safe and supportive environment for seniors to engage in conversations and art activities.

Ms Noelle Cobden, a Scottish Fellow, said: “The Memories Café session made my heart so full! I really appreciate that the A4G Fellowship programme included items in which we could see the very real impact of the arts on ageing-related issues. It was a wonderful experience.”

The programme dovetailed with the launch of Arts for Good: Uniting Communities, Driving Social Change – a publication which celebrates the eighth anniversary of the SIF’s A4G initiative. The A4G initiative also ran A4G Projects, which supports art-based initiatives that create impact for world communities. To date, A4G Projects have positively impacted more than 37,000 lives in the areas of inclusion, empowerment, sustainability, mental health, and arts education.

Arts for Good: Uniting Communities, Driving Social Change is available for download here. Physical copies of the publication will be made available at a later date.