University Settlement has finalized its merger with The Creative Center: Arts in Healthcare, a nonprofit that brings trained,professional artists to work with people with cancer and other serious illnesses in healthcare and studio settings. The Creative Center has been working with our senior programs for the past few years, and we're very excited to formalize the partnership!

The New York Nonprofit Press recently highlighted the merger and the upcoming 'Got Art?' Benefit that will take place in Speyer Hall on Friday, September 23rd.

Monday, 08 August 2011 07:42

University Settlement and The Creative Center: Arts In Healthcare have announced that they will be merging.  Through the merger, The Creative Center becomes a program of University Settlement, one of New York City's leading social service agencies.   Now called The Creative Center at University Settlement (TCC), the program will continue to provide all of its current arts-in-healthcare programming in hospitals, other healthcare settings and on-site, as well as throughout its national replication and training project.  In addition, TCC will become integrated throughout University Settlement's senior programming.

"The Creative Center came at this merger from a position of strength and collaboration, and recognizing that even excellent, small and 'scrappy' non-profits are at risk in the current environment," said Robin Glazer, Director of TCC.  "We wanted to ensure that all our excellent work will continue, and University Settlement offers us a strong institutional home and a wonderful opportunity to expand.  Beyond the practical side of the merger, we 'get' each other as institutions and partners, and see a lot of possibilities in the different strengths we each bring to the table."

In the last three years TCC has partnered closely with University Settlement to expand into the growing “creative aging” field, putting into practice what recent research has shown; that arts activities and experiences provide not only opportunities for artistic and self expression, but also measurable health benefits to seniors at all stages in the aging continuum, enabling them to live better and healthier lives.

"We are thrilled to welcome this high-quality program into the University Settlement family, bringing additional skills, services and reach to our wide range of programs," said Michael Zisser, Chief Executive Officer of University Settlement.   "The Creative Center board and Director Robin Glazer have been excellent partners and we look forward to many new and exciting developments together."

The two organizations will be celebrating the merger at the annual Got Art? fundraiser in the Settlement’s historic Speyer Hall on Friday, September 23 at 6:30 p.m.  Attendees will enjoy food, wine, and mingling among original artwork donated to The Creative Center, and each person gets to take one piece of artwork home as a memento of the evening.  Admission is $25.  To learn more, visit http://www.thecreativecenter.org/tcc/what_s_new/got_art_/.