Carpe Diem Arts

Arts Alive Seniors Outreach Program: Our Arts Alive program at County Senior Centers, rec centers, and senior living communities provides the opportunity for seniors to join actively in various forms of art and movement with other seniors, building connections and honing new skills. Led by skilled teaching artists, seniors experience thinking, creativity, and experimenting and report "wonderful feelings... very happy and fulfilled."

Daily Antidote of Song: This activity brings people together in a permanently virtual setting to make each day better, one song at a time. Initially engaging those who were feeling lonely and isolated due to the pandemic, the program lifts the spirits of anyone who is feeling low by engaging them in song, imbuing them with "vitamin H for Harmony" as one artist said, and providing a means for them to connect with others. Artists and songs inspiring social change in the past or today are frequently featured. We sing with over 350 song leaders and hosts from around the world, including GRAMMY, JUNO, and WAMMIE Award-winning artists, representing 20+ countries, and bringing a range of musical genres and styles. Participants have described the Daily Antidote of Song as a a lifeline to strangers who are no longer strangers, an invitation to community, a safe place to share feelings about the turmoil of world events and social injustices going back decades, even centuries, a place that challenges us to think deeply about fighting for justice, a place where one can gain strength, optimism, and motivation to work toward real change and be truly enriched, and a daily reminder that there is hope and that we are not alone. The Daily Antidote serves a growing virtual community of seniors, homebound, and socially conscious individuals from all 50 states and 30 countries, and has run for 1181 consecutive days as of 6/30/23 (and continues on).

Summer Arts Camp Program: At weeklong sleepaway arts camp on Maryland's Eastern Shore, campers are provided a safe space to explore new art forms, see the world through a fresh lens, and build friendships. The primary focus is on the visual arts, with a healthy dose of song and dance, outdoor activities and field trips. Our weeklong day camps are located in the Takoma Park/Silver Spring area of Maryland, with a one week arts camp for elementary school, a one week camp for middle schoolers that emphasizes arts for social change, and a one week Spanish immersion arts camp. Note: While revenue from our July-August 2023 camp activities fall into the next fiscal year, the summer 2023 camps reflect on our balance sheet data in this fiscal year ended June 2023 in the form of Deferred Income (Part X, Line 19).

Other program services: Other Community Arts Outreach in this fiscal year included Jump Start with the Arts for pre-kindergarteners, School Assemblies, Community Sings (group singing), Community Dance, and Concerts.