We Are Well: Intergenerational art-moving-well-being project

We Are Well: Intergenerational art-moving-well-being project

The We Are Well project sees Monash pre-service teachers and Occupational therapy students join with local primary school children, older adults from the University of the Third Age and Rotary, and teachers. Together participants explored and shared strength-based approaches to art and movement to explore well-being and connections to Country and each other. The ‘We Are Well’ project brought together Indigenous artists with researchers from the Monash Faculty of Education and the Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Centre, Monash University. Partnering with McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery, this intergenerational project moves across communities, institutions, and generations while connecting people to place and each other through art and movement. By embedding the project into an art education unit of work at Monash University, students were able to participate and create art sessions in response to and with the Indigenous Artists to further their educational and intergenerational skills.

POSTERS: Check out our suite of 10 posters that were shared at our Pop-Up exhibition for the project at McClelland Gallery Pavillion and that serve as an enduring record of the project.

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Participants

This project acknowledges the creative capacity and dedication of the intergenerational participants. We are grateful to the ever-enthusiastic children of Woodlands Primary School, their dedicated teachers, Mrs Walker and Ms Wheeler, along with their supportive Principal, Matt Gallagher. To Libby Wilson from Mornington U3A and Rosebud Rye Rotary and associated members, we thank you for your excellent and encouraging mentorship; and to the talented Masters Students undertaking EDF5856 and the opt-in Education and OT students from Monash University. We thank you for sharing your skills and creative gifts. A big thank you also goes to the staff at Monash University who supported this initiative, along with Nikki Browne for so expertly enabling our partnership with McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery.

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Project artists and Research team:

• Nikki Browne, Bidjara artist  and educator, and First Nations Learning and Programs Manager, McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery
• Aunty Karan Kent, Bidjara and local community Elder. Founder of Yimba Yumba —in sync with nature through the art of sharing Wayapa Wuurrk
• Kylie Colemane, Darug, and Wiradjuri First Nations consultant, artist, and educator. Founder of Your Green Prescription
• Kursty Colemane, Darug, and Wiradjuri First Nations knowledge holder, artist, and educator.
• Dr Geraldine Burke, Faculty of Education
• Assoc Prof Megan Adams, Faculty of Education
• Assoc Prof Laura Alfrey, Faculty of Education
• Dr Aislinn Lalor, RAIL
• Prof Keith Hill, RAIL
• Priscilla Pettengell, Research Assistant

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Funding: 

The ‘We Are Well’ project was funded by a Monash University Research Seed grant. Further support was provided by Monash Faculty of Education, School of Curriculum, Teaching and Inclusive Education; the Rehabilitation, Ageing, and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre; and McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery.  

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Links to articles

• Burke, G., Adams, M. Alfrey, L, Lalore, A., Browne, N. (2024). Learning with Indigenous knowledges, art, movement and wellbeing across generations. TeachSpace
• Burke, G., Adams, M., Lalor, A., Alfrey, L., Hill, K., Pettengell, P. (with Nikki Browne, Aunty Karan  Kent, Kylie Colemane and Kursty Colemane).(2023).Intergenerational learning: Challenging stereotypes and supporting social connection
• Adams. M., Burke, G., Browne, N., Kent, K., Colemane, K., Alfrey, L., Lalor, A., Hill, K. (2023). Conceptualising Intergenerational Lived Experience: Integrating Art–Moving–Well‐Being across   Disciplines, Communities, and Cultures. 

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Conference presentations

• Burke, G., Adams, A., Colemane, K., Lalor, A., Wilson, L. (2025 forthcoming).  Weaving Generations: Connecting Art-Moving-Well-being and Land-Sea-Sky with Country for Lifelong Learning. Australian Institute fir Intergenerational Practice, Connecting Generations for Life, NSW, Feb 20-21, 2025.
• Hill K, Lalor A, Burke G, Adams M, Alfrey L, Pettengell P, Browne N, Kent K, Colemane Kylie, and Colemane Kursty. (2024). We are Well: Evaluating a pre-post pilot of an intergenerational First Nations led art and movement program. Australian Association of Gerontology National Conference, Hobart, Nov 13-15, 2024. 
• Lalor AF, Hill K, Burke G, Adams M, Alfrey L, Browne N, Pettengell  P, Kent K, Colemane K. (2024). Artfully Ageing: Exploring an intergenerational “We Are Well” project combining art, movement and wellbeing. Australian Association of Gerontology National Conference, Hobart Australia. 13-15th November 2024. 
• Adams, M., Burke, G. (2024). Creative and inclusive engagement in Art: Intergenerational art-movement-well-being practices. International Society for Cultural Historical Research. (ISCAR), The Netherlands, August 2024.
• Burke G, Lalor AF, Browne N, Adams M, Kent K, Colemane K, Alfrey L, Hill K. (2024). Fostering Creative Health through the ‘We Are Well: Intergenerational art-moving-well-being’ project. Fostering Creative Health Conference, University of Melbourne. Melbourne. April 2024.
• Adams M, Burke G, Alfrey L, Lalor AF, Hill K, Browne N (2023). Rendering Partnerships with Intergenerational art-movement-well-being. Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) conference, Embracing Partnerships: Leading the Future of Teaching, Learning and Research. NSW. July 2023.
• Burke G, Adams M, Browne N. (2023). We are well: What we love about intergenerational art-moving-well-being. 4th A/r/t/ography Asian Symposium 2023 Social Implementation of A/r/tography in Teacher Training (Online) Guangzhou, China. Nov 2023.  

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Awards and nominations

• Awarded Faculty of Education: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award, 2024
• Awarded Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award, 2024
• Nominated for VC AWARD: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award, 2024