Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF) has awarded Studio Channel Islands (SCI) a grant in the amount of $28,820 to support its Arts and Health programming. Funding will be used to expand its Memory Cafes (creative social events for individuals with memory loss and their caregivers), art classes with hospice (workshops for children in bereavement counseling) and stroke survivor art classes. Funding for the grant will come from the Ruth Daily Livingston Fund.
“We are grateful to VCCF for their support of our growing Arts and Health community programs. There is extensive research which demonstrates that participation in the arts has profound impact in improving individual and community well-being,” said Peter Tyas, SCI’s executive director.
Tyas explained that the arts have been employed in both hospital and community care settings for over twenty years and the findings from peer-reviewed research has led to the development of an extensive arts and health network across Europe and parts of North America. The partnership between arts professionals and the medical community has refined a number of arts and health models which have measurable health outcomes and significant impacts upon the overall quality of life.
Studio Channel Islands has been developing a partnership with Camarillo Health Care District and with the local hospital to explore the potential of the arts to have positive impacts within the community.
For more information, visit www.studiochannelislands.org or call 805-383-1368.
Ongoing programs include art classes for adults and children, providing studio space for professional artists, presenting diverse art shows in its Blackboard Gallery and providing community art and cultural events for individuals and families. Gallery hours are Tues.–Fri., 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Located at 2222 E. Ventura Blvd., Camarillo.
