Participant Biographies and Project Descriptions

Sarah Stead
Sarah began her professional career in the arts in 1967 as an art teacher, and in the years since has expanded her experiences and expertise to include dance and yoga instructor, arts workshop facilitator, arts exhibitor and artist in residence, and owner/designer/artist of a wearable art clothing company. She received two scholarships to study art and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and printmaking. Sarah has taught art to all ages with specialized experience working with the handicapped and blind. She feels that an often forgotten group in need of creative instruction and experiences is the senior population in rehabilitation facilities. Many of these residents in long-term facilities call these institutions their homes, and receive little to no meaningful contact or stimulation during their daily lives.

Sarah plans to teach fabric and textile art in nursing homes so residents can make a finished, memorable piece to hang in their room and bring warmth to their personal environments. She also plans to incorporate yoga techniques of relaxation and breathing to promote a healthy atmosphere for seniors as they begin their art projects. Each resident will also complete a cloth art piece that will become part of a group tapestry which will be used to “enliven their gathering places and rest homes. Thus our seniors will be creating something of value that will bring joy to current and future generations”. Sarah plans to bring art classes to seniors in three long-term rehabilitative facilities in Encinitas. Typically run on very limited activities budgets, the three facilities in which Sarah will be teaching are extremely appreciative of her volunteer efforts, and state that their residents would have no access to any visual arts related experiences without her assistance and creative energy. Sarah hopes to arrange a group showing of all the artwork produced by the three facilities to “benefit our seniors as individuals, and our community as a whole.”