CROSS CAMPUS COLLABORATION
Connected for life COLLABORATIVE GRANT PROGRAM BENEFITS SENIOR CITIZENS
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$222,327 grant to the University of Iowa’s museums and libraries will allow an expansion of the Stanley Museum of Art's Senior Living Communities Program, which brings art programming and interactive activities to seniors in long-term care facilities in Iowa. The grant is part of $13.8 million in funding under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Grants for Museums and Libraries by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to support the role of museums and libraries in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The program was extremely competitive; only sixty-eight museum and library service projects were selected from among 1,701 applications. The UI project, titled “Connected for Life: Object-based Digital Programming to Foster Active Minds for Senior Living Communities,” will be jointly administered
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WINTER 2021
by the Stanley Museum of Art, Office of the State Archaeologist, UI Pentacrest Museums, and University Libraries. “Our goal is to provide synchronous, virtual outreach programs for underserved Iowa populations who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19,” says the director of the UI Stanley Museum of Art, Lauren Lessing. “We want to increase participants' sense of connection and well-being and help them feel less isolated.” Jack B. King university librarian John Culshaw emphasizes the importance of integrating the work of museums and libraries. “In communities across the country, citizens look to museums and libraries to access cultural and creative works. This is true now more than ever,” he says. “Our work with colleagues at the Pentacrest Museums, Stanley Museum of Art, and Office of the State Archaeologist will be increasingly integrated as we seek to serve in these challenging times.”
