The Resiliency Project: Stories of New York City Seniors

The Resiliency Project is a collaborative effort from Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Teaching Artists in our Visual and Performing Arts Department and members of our two Senior Centers.

The Project began in April 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Neighborhood House members and staff recording and sharing stories, poems, songs and dances, and quickly evolved into so much more. These individual works encapsulate our members’ immediate feelings of the pandemic in New York City and showcase how the arts is a tangible force of healing. Although we may be apart, we can continue to create together.

This is resiliency…

“Suddenly…the music stopped! We could no longer sing, act and dance together. We were cut off from what gave meaning to our artistic lives. A rampant virus forced us inside to an isolated existence. We were left with TV sets and computers to stay in contact with the outside world. How to adapt?...

Lenox Hill [Neighborhood House] threw us a lifeline by conceiving The Resiliency Project, an opportunity for dancers, actors and singers to stay connected to their art…

Yes! Resilient senior artists would be visible and appreciated by their community in spite of the pandemic. All would be okay!”

Patricia Lewis
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Senior Center Member

Click here to learn more about our essential programs on behalf of more than 10,000 older adults.