TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– A new program supported by a state grant has started in Terre Haute.
Emily Bennett, the program coordinator at the Indiana State Community School of the Arts, is offering a free class for community members 65 and older that’s centered around making a collective mural.
Bennett said this helps target a demographic that the Indiana Arts Commission believed was underserved.
“A lot of the times, funding will focus solely on children, and while that is valid and a really great use of resources, this funding was specifically focusing on older adults because that’s sometimes a forgotten population,” she said. “Especially in the wintertime when I know I can get the winter blues, so this encourages them to come out, form community, learn a new skill.”
Monday was the second of six sessions with the group– but for those involved, it’s about much more than the art.
Barbara Weber is a lifelong Terre Haute resident who said she jumped at the chance to take part in this class.
“It’s an exciting opportunity to be with new friends,” Weber said. “A lot of these people I have never met. It’s fun to be working on a project and talking to people, you can go to a restaurant and eat but that’s not as fun as working on something and creating something.”
The class focuses on needle felting– a particular technique– but Bennett said her focus is on meeting everyone where they are and enjoying the process.
“All of those steps along the line are valid,” she said. “I want all of them to be having fun, it’s just about community and creating something that speaks to each of them in a very narrative way. It’s not necessarily the final product visually, but it’s the narrative.”
Bennett said she would be interested in doing the class again if possible– something Weber hopes to see.
“I think we’re really lucky Emily put together this grant,” she said. “That’s great to have a community member like Emily to do this work.”
The class is also made possible by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at ISU. More programs available through the community school of the arts can be found here.
