Crystal Worl’s project engaged Elder CIHA residents in an art-based group initiative that incorporated photos and imagery of CIHA senior residents into a traditional Tlingit formline design. The final design was printed on note cards and distributed to CIHA residents to send to friends or family. The note cards promoted increased communication and helped residents feel more connected to those outside of their home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emma Hill’s “Connecting Through Elders Through Song” project featured live virtual performances for Cook Inlet Housing Authority’s Elder residents in both group and one-on-one settings. Reminiscent of Emma Hill’s “Songcircle” performances in their intimate, storytelling setting, CIHA’s residents were serenaded with deeply personal songs and narratives tackling life’s struggles, passions, and triumphs.

Dena’ina Athabaskan artist Bunny Swan Gease’s wellness poster “Jangu Yagheli” combined intricate, hand-drawn designs and ten “good ways” for Cook Inlet Housing Authority’s Elder residents to practice self care during extended times of isolation. Through daily reminders written in Dena’ina and English languages Bunny Swan Gease was able to engage and connect to others with empathy, compassion, and humor. “In consideration of what are the greatest needs of our Elders… it is love, respect, companionship, support, understanding, and human contact. Many Elders are already isolated from others. Now with the complications of COVID, this has become an even greater challenge.”, Bunny said of her project.

The “Live at 3600 Spenard” project by Spenard Jazz Fest included a live, in-person musical performance in the parking lot of Cook Inlet Housing’s residential housing building at 3600 Spenard Road. The musical performance was made available to Cook Inlet Housing Authority residents either in person or online through Facebook Live. Some residents at 3600 Spenard Road had the additional option of viewing the performance from their porches, which overlooked the northeast section of the parking lot, where the band was located. The goal of the hour-long performance was to engage residents and community members affected by the COVID19 pandemic in a way that eased feelings of isolation and loneliness.

Christina Demetro’s “Love From Alaska” project engaged senior CIHA residents in an art-based initiative combining storytelling, poetry, imagery, and crafts. The project complemented Demetro’s Sunrise Swan sculpture installation with a series of 212 paper hearts created by residents, each sending support to a different country affected by COVID-19. The installation, which was located outside of CIHA’s downtown Elizabeth Place building, consisted of two golden swan sculptures connected by strings of the paper hearts.

A System of Strings is a contemporary circus show created and performed by multidisciplinary American circus artists Ariel Schmidtke and Esther de Monteflores. A System of Strings fuses shadow puppetry and physical theater with traditional circus arts including trapeze, wire walking, and acrobatics.

We want to explore how we can maximize a one-bedroom unit design for ultimate livability and financial feasibility for actual development. We partnered with set designer Sheila Wyne to design a scale 3-D unit model with multiple moving parts and furniture to allow for real interaction in the space illustrating real constraints for real world living.