COLUMBUS — A Sugar Grove artist has been selected to participate in Building Bridges to Sustained Communities initiative, which focuses on bringing artmaking experiences to older adults in Ohio’s underserved and historically marginalized communities.
Nora Steele, of Sugar Grove, is an artist and a naturalist in the Hocking Hills area. She is one of 25 teaching artists chosen for the project.
The new initiative is administered by the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) and follows similar work completed between 2021 to 2023 under the Ohio Intensive Creative Aging Training Initiative. Ultimately, Building Bridges to Sustained Communities is the next phase of Creative Aging Ohio, an initiative begun by the OAC in 2013 that provided grant funding to create and expand programs that engaged older adults in the visual arts, dance, music, writing, and theatre.
“The selection of these 25 teaching artists marks a significant milestone in our efforts to build the capacity of diverse professionals to deliver impactful programming to historically marginalized communities across Ohio. From urban centers to rural areas, these teaching artists represent a breadth of perspectives and talents that will empower communities throughout Ohio and make for a truly statewide creative aging movement. Through intensive training and collaboration, we’re equipping them to effectively engage and inspire older adults in underserved areas, ensuring that everyone has access to the transformative power of the arts,” Donna S. Collins, Executive Director, Ohio Arts Council, in a news release.
According to a news release from the Ohio Arts Council, Steele’s childhood curiosity about mythology led her to explore the outdoors, hoping to encounter magical fairy folk. Instead, she discovered the captivating magic of nature itself, which she now brings to her life through her digital illustrations.
Her goal is to create art that educates and inspires others to appreciate the beauty of nature, emphasizing the importance of preserving our natural resources for future generations. Her work celebrates the region’s flora and fauna promoting both education and reservation while connecting people with nature through the power of art, according to the OAC.
Now, the newest crop of teaching artists, who hail from diverse geographies and represent a plethora of arts disciplines, will take part in an intensive series of training sessions facilitated by the renowned national arts service organization Lifetime Arts, a leader in skill-based, sequential instructional creative aging programs and services.
Following the training, the teaching artists will work with program host sites to conduct activities in the second half of 2024. Program host sites will primarily consist of locations where older adults receive services or take part in programming, such as senior centers, libraries, and arts organizations.
Funding for the training initiative was provided to the OAC through the States Leading Creative Aging program, which was presented by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) and E.A. Michelson Philanthropy. Ohio, which was one of just nine states competitively selected for this national grant program, secured the highest potential award of $95,000 to provide professional development for teaching artists and direct programming to older adult audiences.
