In Fall of 2021, Pike County Extension Fine Arts began working with The Appalachian Center for the Arts and Pike County Housing Authority to plan and apply for a grant through the Kentucky Arts Council. The grant, Arts Access Assistance: Creative Aging and Lifelong Learning, aims to support quality arts programming for underserved populations in the Commonwealth in environments where arts are not the primary emphasis. Eligible grant projects use the arts to directly serve individuals age 55 and older or communities of individuals with a majority of representatives age 55 and older.

Together, Fine Arts and The Appalachian Center for the Arts recognized Myers Towers residents as excellent candidates for this grant. Myers Towers is a 200 unit, 11 story high-rise apartment complex in downtown Pikeville that exclusively houses low-income elderly and disabled populations. The Pike County Housing Authority was immediately on board to help make this happen. The grant deadline was October 6, 2021. In early 2022, we were notified that we’d been selected to receive a grant for our project in the amount of $5,000.

On March 18th, the first planning meeting was held with residents in the common room at Myers Towers. We hung flyers and asked residents to help spread the word. We had a turnout of over 20 people, all very excited and eager to be involved. At the meeting, we were asked to bring traditional art classes such as painting and crafts, as well as classes that focused on mental health and healthy living, such as meditation, mindfulness practices, yoga, etc. Residents spoke about feeling ignored and forgotten due to socioeconomic standing, mobility issues, etc. and expressed gratitude for a chance to be creative within their own community.

Our first class was held on April 11 with artist Jessica Salyer leading her “Art Positive Project” series which focuses on mental health through the arts—a perfect pairing for what residents requested. We had a turnout of 10 people who created a finished painting together. Salyer will lead her six class series through April and May. Other planned classes include chair yoga, dulcimer playing, pottery classes, acting and voice lessons, crafts, basket weaving, visits to experience live theatre and concert productions, and more.

Classes will run through July with the potential for continued, Extension-funded or other grant-funded opportunities upon the conclusion of the Creative Aging grant if resident interest remains strong.