ART EXPERIENCES FOR SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES // LOS ANGELES
Something interesting to make.
Artist-designed courses for senior living communities, built around generous materials, approachable techniques, and clear prompts with room for interpretation. Playing with scale runs throughout the curriculum as familiar objects are made larger than life.
No art experience required. All materials included.
ART COURSES
Multi-week courses in clay, collage, and papier-mâché, designed for senior living communities.
Each course builds skills through a sequence of projects, moving from simple techniques to more complex making. Students begin with the same materials and prompt but create different outcomes, always at a large scale. Some classes include group sharing and titling, and every course ends with a community exhibition.
The artworks for the show don’t have to be figurative or absolutely finished/polished. Residents are welcome to create abstract art responding to prompts and show work-in-progress at the exhibition which is intended to be a celebration of creation.
01 // CLAY
Residents transform familiar objects into larger-than-life air-dry clay sculptures through two-session projects: first shaping and building, then painting with mixed primary colors. Each piece is titled, shared with the group, and saved for a final course exhibition.
10 CLASSES // 2 classes per project + exhibition
01 // On The Table
Choose an everyday object and make a much bigger version in clay.
02 // The Vessel
Make a large container for something useful, special, or imagined.
03 // In My Pocket
Choose a small object you carry and make it much bigger.
04 // The Coin
Make a giant coin. Add a person, animal, place, object, or symbol that matters to you.
05 // The Souvenir
Choose a favorite place and make a large souvenir inspired by it.
FINAL // Exhibition
We bring all the finished sculptures together for a community exhibition. Participants give their work a title and can share it with friends and family.
02 // COLLAGE
Residents cut, tear, layer, and arrange colored paper on canvas to turn familiar objects into bold, oversized compositions. Each one-session project explores shape, color, and arrangement, and every finished piece is titled and saved for a final exhibition.
5 CLASSES // 1 class per project + exhibition
01 // The Close-Up
Choose a small, familiar object and make it much bigger using colored paper.
02 // The Collection
Choose one object and make several enlarged versions, changing the colors, shapes, or patterns.
03 // The Label
Create a large label for a favorite or imagined product using simple shapes and letters.
04 // The Monument
Choose something small that feels important and turn it into a large monument in an imagined setting.
05 // A Portrait Without A Face
Choose an object that reminds you of yourself or someone you know and make it the focus of the picture.
FINAL // Exhibition
We bring all the finished collages together for a community exhibition. Participants title their work and can share it with friends and family.
03// PAPIER-MÂCHÉ
Residents crumple, shape, layer, and build papier-mâché into lightweight, oversized sculptures based on familiar objects. Each two-session project begins with building and ends with painting, and every finished piece is titled and saved for a final exhibition.
10 CLASSES // 2 classes per project + exhibition
01 // The Everyday Hero
Choose an ordinary object and make a much bigger version in papier-mâché.
02 // The Accessory
Choose something small you wear and turn it into an oversized sculpture.
03 // Special Occasion
Choose an object used for special moments and make it much larger.
04 // One Part Too Big
Choose a familiar object and exaggerate one part of it.
05 // The Pair
Choose two things that belong together and combine them into one oversized sculpture.
FINAL // Exhibition
We bring all the finished sculptures together for a community exhibition. Participants title their work and can share it with friends and family.
Why this works
A real art course, made approachable.
Each course combines clear instruction, generous materials, and room for individual decisions. Residents learn techniques, develop skills over time, and make work that is entirely their own.
ARTIST-LED
We teach the materials and techniques, then give residents a clear prompt and room to make their own decisions. Everyone starts together and ends somewhere different.
NO ART EXPERIENCE NEEDED
We introduce each technique step by step and design every prompt to be easy to understand, with plenty of room for individual interpretation.
WE COME TO YOU
We bring everything needed for the course — from generous amounts of material and setup to instruction and cleanup.
SKILLS BUILD OVER TIME
We structure each course as a progression, beginning with simple techniques and building toward more developed ways of shaping, constructing, and composing.
MAKING ART CAN BUILD COMMUNITY.
A visual arts program in residential care was found to foster a sense of community and greater self-worth as artists. A public exhibition also gave meaning and purpose to residents’ participation.
— Rodrigues et al., Canadian Journal on Aging, 2019
WHERE WHITEWATERRAFTING CAME FROM
Whitewaterrafting was founded by Eugenia Moreeva, a Los Angeles–based artist, educator, and CalArts graduate. She began teaching four years ago with deep-reading classes for high school students, then co-founded a literature program with two friends at Meinkurs, an online school in Russia. She also organized experimental art gatherings in Moscow, Russia, bringing together poetry, visual environments, sound, food, and guided sensory experiences. After graduating from CalArts, she moved into visual art education, teaching children and adults through several arts organizations and education companies across Los Angeles.
Her artwork explores how people navigate the structures, systems, and situations they find themselves in. Whitewaterrafting brings that interest together with her teaching practice: showing people how to work with a material while leaving the outcome open. Everyone begins with the same materials, conditions, and somewhere interesting to start, then takes the work in their own direction.
That mix of uncertainty, momentum, and fun is where the name comes from. Making something you’ve never made before means making decisions as you go, without knowing exactly what the finished result will be. Whitewaterrafting provides the structure, materials, and guidance that make the unknown feel exciting rather than intimidating.
Today, Whitewaterrafting brings together professional artists to lead these experiences in corporate offices, senior living communities, retreats, private events, and other places people come together to make something new.
TRY IT FIRST // then continue
Not ready for a full course? Communities can begin with a standalone experience before committing to a longer program.
Book a full course within 30 days of your trial and receive a $500 credit toward the course.
ONE CLASS // FROM $850
Choose a single-session collage project, with all materials, instruction, sharing, artwork titling, and a mini exhibition of the finished work included.
TWO CLASSES // FROM $1,500
Try one complete clay or papier-mâché project — from building the form to painting, sharing, titling, and a mini exhibition of the finished work.
FULL COURSES FROM $3,500
5-class course starts at $3,500 // 10-class courses start at $6,500
All materials and final exhibition included.
Reduced rates may be available for nonprofits and smaller community programs.
A FEW PRACTICAL THINGS
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All Whitewaterrafting workshops are led by professional working artists with a Bachelor of Fine Arts college degree or higher.
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Pretty much everything. We bring the materials, tools, table protection, workshop setup, examples for demonstrating techniques, artist facilitation, and take care of cleanup afterward.
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Most classes are designed for up to 15 residents with one teaching artist.
Larger groups can be accommodated with additional instructors so everyone has enough space, materials, and individual support.
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Classes take place in your community in Los Angeles — in an activity room, art room, dining space, or another accessible area with tables. We ask for a comfortable seated workspace with enough room for residents and materials.
We typically just need tables, chairs, and access to the space before and after the workshop. We’ll confirm the exact setup with you ahead of time.
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All classes run 90 minutes. Setup and cleanup happen separately, so the full class time is spent making.
Clay and papier-mâché projects are completed across two sessions so the work has time to dry before painting.
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Because the goal isn’t to reproduce an example. We teach residents how to work with the materials, then give everyone the same clear prompt and starting conditions. The structure is shared; the finished work is individual.
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No art experience is required. We introduce techniques step by step and design prompts to be immediately understandable, with room for residents to work at their own pace and make their own choices.
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Yes. Our projects are designed to be completed seated at a table, and we can adjust tools, materials, pacing, and the level of hands-on support as needed.
Working at an enlarged scale is part of the artistic concept, but it also makes many projects easier to see, hold, cut, shape, and assemble. We can also provide pre-cut shapes, easier-grip tools, and other simple adaptations so residents can participate comfortably.
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Residents keep their work. Throughout the course, finished pieces are titled and saved for a final exhibition in the community. Standalone trial classes can also conclude with a small display of the finished work.
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We recommend booking 3–4 weeks in advance for a single class and 4–6 weeks ahead for a multi-week course. Earlier booking gives us the best chance of reserving your preferred day, time, and teaching artist. Shorter-notice bookings may be possible depending on availability.
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A 50% deposit secures the starting date of the course/one-time trial class date, with the remaining balance due 7 days before the first class. We’ll send you a secure online invoice for payment.
Cancellations made more than 14 days in advance are refunded, less a $200 booking fee. Cancellations made within 14 days forfeit the deposit. Cancellations made within 7 days are nonrefundable.
Workshops may be rescheduled once with 14+ days notice, subject to availability.
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Yes. We can provide standard vendor documentation, including a W-9 and proof of general liability insurance. Your community can be named as an additional insured when required, and we’re happy to review and sign reasonable NDAs.
We can work with your community’s onboarding requirements when needed.
Let’s Make Together
Tell us a little about your community, how many residents you’re planning for, and what kind of course you’re interested in. We’ll get back to you within 48 hours.
Rather talk it through?
BOOK A 15-MINUTE INTRO CALL