ABSTRACT
The needs or goals institutions might share with the art and social interaction program for their residents in the different sites served are described in this chapter together with how these needs can be met. One such goal is for residents to be able to assume some degree of control in their lives in a positive manner. This happens in the process of art-making whereby the creator makes order out of chaos, form out of confusion, something tangible out of imagination. Institutions are hard pressed to provide sensory stimulation for their residents. Under long-term institutional care the same sights, sounds, smells and routines persist. In contrast, when the art workshops are in session, there is color, texture, movement, a virtual hubbub of activity to activate the senses. Similarly, a sense of self-identity can be difficult to maintain in the crowded space and routines of institutional life, yet individuality is a right for all human beings. Increased feelings of self-identity occur amid the friendly social interactions with presenters and when original work is created on one’s own paper in a crowded room. In this unique way, the program is seen to share and meet institutional goals for its clientele.
