Arbor Hill Assisted Living is a 50-person affordable housing and elder care community in Federal Hill. Residents are formerly homeless or housing insecure elders who live with disabilities, chronic health issues, and face mental health challenges. All are lifelong Rhode Islanders.

The ‘Authentic Visions from Elders’ project will engage residents to create art pieces that are drawn from memories of their life or their visions for the future. Working directly with Rhode Island artist Thea Ernest, residents will be interviewed about their life story and their dreams for the future. At the end of this first interview, the residents will then work with Thea to sketch an image that inspires them. The resident will then participate in an art workshop, where they will learn about various art styles, from watercolor to collage. They will then color or fill in their sketch based on their own inspiration and with Thea’s guidance.

The goal of this project is to uplift the stories, creativity, and dreams of low-income elders, whose voices are often forgotten about and not heard.