Arts on Prescription (AoP)
Creative Aging Network-NC has been advancing the role of creative engagement in health, well-being and social connection for years. In 2025, we highlighted Arts on Prescription at our annual Creative Aging Symposium in Charlotte, and our work with community partners was featured on ncIMPACT PBS in The Surprising Cure for America’s Loneliness Crisis.
Building on this experience, we are working to expand Arts on Prescription across the Piedmont Triad and, ultimately, North Carolina, for adults and older adults. Our goal is to strengthen connections among healthcare providers, mental health professionals, arts organizations and community partners so creative experiences become a more accessible part of holistic, person-centered care.
Get involved
- Interested in collaborating? Healthcare providers, clinicians, arts organizations and others are invited to complete our interest form. We’re building a future directory of programs, services and opportunities across the state.
- Join our monthly Arts on Prescription discussion, held on Zoom the second Friday of each month at 1:30 p.m. Join on Zoom.
- Learn more: Social Prescribing USA’s Social Prescribing Learning Hub offers practical resources for providers.
Interactive Sculpture Garden
The Interactive Sculpture Garden, the visionary idea of CAN-NC Co-Founder and Executive Director Lia Miller, is a pilot project developed with UNC Greensboro to promote physical activity among older adults and support aging in place through functional, kinetic sculptures that build balance, flexibility and strength. Learn about the research.
- Art + wellness: combines art, movement and nature to improve health, foster creativity and challenge stereotypes about aging.
- Collaborative innovation: UNCG students and faculty from art, kinesiology, gerontology and engineering design sculptures with community stakeholders.
- Anti-ageism messaging: signage at each sculpture raises awareness of ageism and celebrates positive images of aging.
- Accessible & inclusive: a free, beautiful alternative to gyms, especially for marginalized elders, encouraging intergenerational and intercultural connection.
- An evolving landmark: on our 10-acre campus next to Greensboro’s future Greenway, growing each year through new UNCG collaborations.
The ReFashion House
Dedicated to empowering low-income individuals, particularly aging women of color, through sewing education, creative expression and community connection. The ReFashion House provides hands-on training in sustainable fashion and alterations to foster self-sufficiency, confidence and well-being, in collaboration with FaithAction International.
As we transform The ReFashion House into a professional sewing studio, we invite sponsors to join us in building a more inclusive, connected and economically empowered Greensboro.
LilyList legacy partnership
LilyList, an online platform for capturing and sharing legacies, has partnered with CAN-NC. Participants can create legacy pages with reflections, recipes, favorite songs and dedications, and LilyList’s video tool turns them into short “video trailers” of each life journey.
Empowering older adults through creative expression has always been a core part of our mission. This partnership is a natural and exciting extension of the creative work they already do with us, ensuring their unique stories are celebrated for years to come.
Lia Miller, Co-Founder and Executive Director, CAN-NC