Metro's Center for Visual Art is bringing art to senior citizens through a community outreach collaboration with the Denver Housing Authority (DHA) that began this winter.

The program, A to Z, offers two to four art workshops each week for seniors living at four different DHA apartment buildings throughout Denver. The first workshop attracted 40 people.

According to Amy Banker, assistant director of the CVA, art is a great way for seniors to socialize with other people and it promotes good health, both mentally and physically. "The emotions and frustrations with aging and loss often show up in the artwork," Banker said. "(The participants) love it, they want us to be there everyday."

A to Z workshops are led by a professional artist trained in art therapy and may be adapted to all physical and mental abilities. Participating seniors are instructed in art techniques and art history, and they create pieces to take home. A Metro student majoring in art and gerontology interned with the program during the spring semester.

The program is an outgrowth of the center's successful ABC (Art Builds Communities) program that brings art to children ages 6-12 living in DHA developments. Each year, more than 1,000 contacts with inner-city youngsters are made through ABC's visual and performing arts workshops.

CVA hopes to continue the A to Z program this fall, and plans are in the works for cross-generational workshops with the ABC youth.

Banker says A to Z is another example of CVA's community outreach efforts to make the arts accessible to underserved communities. "This completes the cycle of learning that Metro State and CVA provide for the Denver community, from grade school to senior citizens."