Upcoming schedule

Partnering with Central Arizona Aging for their Arts n’ Meals program, ArtMobile is contracted for program and project design and facilitating sessions. ARTS n’ MEALS pairs creative and social engagements for older adults in remote rural communities that have limited resources. The program focuses on addressing loneliness and social isolation among older adult and special needs populations of all ages, a critical crisis during COVID-19 and after. Research has shown that engaging in creative arts activities, even for short periods of time, reduces stress, enhances coping, and promotes well-being.

• Central Arizona Aging - Area Aging Agency V -

  • ARTS n’ MEALS Program

    • Arts n’ Meals creative social engagements with lonely and socially isolated older adults.

      • Mammoth AZ Community Center.

      • Tonto Basin, Chamber of Commerce Building.

      • Stanfield, AZ First Baptist Church Food Bank.

Monthly Arts in Health Creative Aging Sessions

• Arts & Lunch program - Arizona City, Independent older adults

• The Opportunity Tree - Creative Aging for older adults and art classes for adults with intellectual development disabilities (IDD).

• Copper Sky in Casa Grande - Memory support residents.

• Eloy Senior Center - Creative Aging sessions for older adults.

• Maricopa Senior Center - Ceramics - Independent older adults.

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CARE: Creative Aging Respite Encounters

As part of the Arizona Commission on the Arts, Southern Arizona Creative Aging Cohort, ArtMobile launched in 2025, CARE: Creative Aging Respite Encounters. CARE is nine-session, multi-arts pilot project designed to support older adults experiencing social isolation or dementia, along with their caregivers. Grounded in both Arts in Health and Creative Aging practices, CARE centered creativity as a tool for connection, well-being, and meaning-making.

Among the program’s highlights, one activity stood out as especially transformative: creative hat-making.

What began as a hands-on art project evolved into a powerful experience of personal expression, cultural reflection, and intergenerational bonding. With the support of the Casa Grande Historical Museum, participants explored the town’s rich heritage and culture through historic photographs, stories, and original hats. These materials inspired storytelling and discussions around the cultural and social significance of hats, including their role in the Women’s Club gatherings, local fundraising hat parades, and as symbols of tradition, identity, and status woven into Casa Grande’s story.

Each participant—including student volunteers from PACE High School—designed and created a hat inspired by both historical models and their personal narratives. The stories behind each creation were as diverse as they were meaningful: some hats honored beloved family legacies, others celebrated a favorite pastime or era, and many incorporated symbols from Casa Grande’s history. The hats became expressions of hope, resilience, and joy.

The collaborative nature of the project brought together older adults, caregivers, and students in a shared space of creativity, learning, and compassion. Caregivers remarked on how deeply meaningful it was to experience connection through art—and how moments like these created lasting impact beyond the session itself.

The experience culminated in a joyful public Hat Parade during the Historic Downtown Terminus event, where participants proudly wore their creations through the heart of Casa Grande. The event served as both celebration and advocacy—elevating the visibility of older adults and caregivers and affirming the role of the arts in healthy aging and community engagement.

Social Isolation Projects: 2020 - Present

SHADES OF HOPE - Community Project: April-May 2020

• Shades of Hope project is a call for our community to collaborate and mobilize the Arts for Covid-19. We can help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). With the Shades of Hope, collaborative community art project we hope to help others creatively engage and learn how the arts are one the of the most powerful means for communication, coping and connection

Pinal Central News Article: Shades of Hope art project to adorn area windows with uplifting messages

Shade #1 - HOPE