Homebound seniors have a new way to enhance their lives with help from local artists.

In a partnership with Senior Services funded by the Arts for Everybody Community Project Grant, Sawtooth School for Visual Art instructors (who are also local working artists) have developed curated art kits that are then sent to local seniors receiving Meals on Wheels deliveries.

Here’s how it works: The Sawtooth instructors collaborate with the certified nurse aides who serve local homebound seniors. Instructors provide all the materials and guidelines needed for the activity. In turn, the recipients get an opportunity to make something with their hands, express themselves creatively, and connect with others.

Funded by the Arts Council of Winston-Salem, the initiative has been using art as a way to target critical challenges like social isolation and cognitive decline, and it’s just one of the ways Sawtooth has been working to foster connection and creativity in the community.

Sawtooth offers year-round workshops across 11 visual art mediums with options for every skill level for adults and youth. As someone who has always wanted to try my hand at ceramics, I’m eyeing the Beginning & Intermediate Wheel Throwing course.

Sawtooth School is also a founding partner of the 62,500-sqft Intergenerational Center for Arts and Wellness — a state-of-the-art community center that combines healthcare, intergenerational, and arts-based opportunities under one roof — and hosts regular activities and programs at that location throughout the year.

As a nonprofit community art school, many of Sawtooth's most meaningful programs are made possible through community support. Donations help provide supportive art experiences through Art + Wellness, youth outreach partnerships, and scholarships and financial aid — so that more people can access the creative opportunities Sawtooth offers. If giving back was one of your resolutions this year, consider making a gift.

And if a new hobby was on your list…
Explore what you can create

Quiz

How many classes and workshops does Sawtooth offer annually? Take a guess.