BATON ROUGE, LA.- The Louisiana Art & Science Museum recently received a $168,833 federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for “Healthy Aging with LASM.” This three-year arts and wellness program will serve senior adults in our eleven-parish capitol region through a variety of in-person and virtual activities. This program will be delivered in partnership with the Capital Area Agency on Aging, the Baton Rouge General Arts in Medicine Program, and Dr. Rebecca Bartlett.
“Senior adults are facing unprecedented levels of isolation, stress, and health risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” stated Nita Mitchell, LASM’s Director of Education. “To serve this vulnerable and sometimes overlooked population, our staff will collaborate with experts in the field of art and medical science as well as community partners. This combination of virtual and in-person programming is vital to combating isolation, fostering meaningful connections, and promoting healthy aging.”
LASM will serve senior adults by providing free programming including “Virtual Voyages,” which will include hands-on activities; distributing Virtual Reality headsets pre-loaded with virtual art and science content and a 360-degree tour of LASM to capital region senior centers; hosting in-person workshops in partnership with arts and wellness specialists; and distributing free museum admission passes.
Serena Pandos, LASM President & Executive Director shares, “Expanding our services to a wider range of audiences, including seniors, while continuing to bridge the arts and sciences in meaningful ways has been part of our big push since before the pandemic. To see this program now funded for the benefit of our senior community and valued on a national level is truly inspiring. While the visual arts have always been perceived as beneficial to wellness, through art therapy and other informal learning environments —medical scientists are now demonstrating this as a fact by examining what happens on the neurological and biomedical level when individuals are engaged in a visual arts activity. For the first time, in 2016, medical scientists in Bavaria, Germany discovered significant wellness benefits achieved by examining fMRI images generated by seniors engaged in a visual arts session. The fMRI images showed increased neural activity in the brain’s frontal lobe as well as in the right and left hemispheres, which is associated with increased neuroplasticity, problem solving skills, resilience, emotional intelligence and overall mental health. Similarly, with funding from the National Endowment of the Arts recent studies conducted by medical scientists at Drexel University demonstrate reduced cortisol levels happening with individuals’ participating in a visual arts activity. Reduced cortisol levels indicate a reduction in stress. Because stress is associated with a breakdown of the immune system, we are excited to offer this program here at the museum, and at no charge so seniors can have some good healthy fun, in a socially engaged atmosphere. The best part about it is that these individuals need not be trained artists as these wellness benefits are achieved through all individuals regardless of former art training. The program truly resonates with our institution’s heart for service and our desire to positively impact underserved populations. This is the first federal grant that LASM has been awarded in over a decade, and we are proud that it is for a project as meaningful as this one!”
The goal of “Healthy Aging with LASM” is to impact 6,000 senior adult program participants in the 11-parish capital region throughout its three-year implementation process, promoting lifelong learning and breaking down barriers that limit senior adults’ ability to access LASM.
“As pillars of our communities, libraries and museums bring people together by providing important programs, services, and collections,” stated IMLS Director Crosby Kemper. “IMLS is proud to support their initiatives through our grants as they educate and enhance their communities.”
