In this Book
- The Penelope Project: An Arts-Based Odyssey to Change Elder Care
- Book
- 2016
- Published by: University of Iowa Press
- Series: Humanities and Public Life
summary
Of the 15,000 nursing homes in the United States, how many are places you’d want to visit, much less live in? Now that people are living longer and more of the population are elderly, this question is more important than ever, particularly for people with disabilities. We must transform long-term care into an experience we and our loved ones can face without dread. It can be done. The Penelope Project shows how by taking readers on an ambitious journey to create a long-term care community that engages its residents in challenging, meaningful art-making.
At Milwaukee’s Luther Manor, a team of artists from the University of Wisconsin’s theatre department and Sojourn Theatre Company, university students, staff, residents, and volunteers traded their bingo cards for copies of The Odyssey. They embarked on a two-year project to examine this ancient story from the perspective of the hero who never left home: Penelope, wife of Odysseus. Together, the team staged a play that engaged everyone and transcended the limits not just of old age and disability but also youth, institutional regulations, and disciplinary boundaries.
Inviting readers to see through the eyes of residents, students, artists, staff, family members, and experts in the fields of education, long-term care, and civically engaged arts practice, this book underscores the essential role of the arts and humanities in living richly. Waiting, as Penelope waited, need not be a time of loss and neglect. The Penelope Project boldly dreams of how to make late life a time of growth and learning. If you dream of improving people’s lives through creative endeavors, this book provides practical advice.
At Milwaukee’s Luther Manor, a team of artists from the University of Wisconsin’s theatre department and Sojourn Theatre Company, university students, staff, residents, and volunteers traded their bingo cards for copies of The Odyssey. They embarked on a two-year project to examine this ancient story from the perspective of the hero who never left home: Penelope, wife of Odysseus. Together, the team staged a play that engaged everyone and transcended the limits not just of old age and disability but also youth, institutional regulations, and disciplinary boundaries.
Inviting readers to see through the eyes of residents, students, artists, staff, family members, and experts in the fields of education, long-term care, and civically engaged arts practice, this book underscores the essential role of the arts and humanities in living richly. Waiting, as Penelope waited, need not be a time of loss and neglect. The Penelope Project boldly dreams of how to make late life a time of growth and learning. If you dream of improving people’s lives through creative endeavors, this book provides practical advice.
Table of Contents
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- Title Page, Copyright
- pp. i-iv
- Series Editors’ Foreword
- pp. ix-xiv
- Who Was Penelope? You Ask
- pp. 5-6
- Part One: The Landscape
- pp. 9-10
- Social/Civic Practice in Theatre
- pp. 17-18
- Evolution of an Idea: In Dialogue
- pp. 28-30
- Evolution of an Idea: In Dialogue
- pp. 31-32
- The Mythic Lens of Penelope
- pp. 54-58
- On Fear and Trepidation
- pp. 64-66
- Challenges for Students
- pp. 71-75
- Students’ Eye View of Penelope
- pp. 76-80
- On the Comfort of Entertainment
- pp. 81-83
- The First Rehearsal
- pp. 84-86
- Open and Roving Rehearsals
- pp. 89-92
- Part Four: Rewards
- pp. 93-94
- Who Is a Hero in Your Own Life?
- pp. 101-102
- Mamie’s Story
- pp. 103-105
- On Playing the Suitors: In Dialogue
- pp. 106-110
- On Playing Penelope: In Dialogue
- pp. 111-113
- Five Seconds after the Audience Left
- pp. 114-115
- The Magic of the Movement
- pp. 116-119
- Finding an Ending
- pp. 120-122
- Excerpt from Finding Penelope, Scene 5
- pp. 123-126
- Part Five: Evaluation and Evolution
- pp. 127-128
- Beyond Penelope at Luther Manor
- pp. 129-130
- What Did the Research Tell Us?
- pp. 139-153
- The Essential Elements of Penelope
- pp. 154-160
- The Landscape beyond Penelope
- pp. 161-163
- Appendices
- Appendix 1. Penelope Project Timeline
- pp. 165-166
- Appendix 2. Penelope Project Team
- pp. 167-168
- Appendix 3. Partnership Agreement
- pp. 169-170
- Appendix 6. A Note on the Program Evaluation
- pp. 180-181
- Appendix 7. Funding Partners
- pp. 182-184
- Appendix 8. Survey Questions
- pp. 185-186
- Contributors
- pp. 187-188
Additional Information
ISBN
9781609384142
Related ISBN(s)
9781609384135
MARC Record
OCLC
946038500
Pages
219
Launched on MUSE
2016-04-25
Language
English
Open Access
No