Untold Stories
University of Kansas- Sarah Jen, Assistant Professor, School of Social Welfare; Director, Sigler Family Aging Scholars Program, University of Kansas
- Olivia Sabal, MSW Sigler Family Aging Scholar, University of Kansas
- Kamri Wolverton, MSW Sigler Family Aging Scholar, University of Kansas
- Tobi Barta, MSW Sigler Family Aging Scholar, University of Kansas
Project Description
Untold Stories is an arts-based community-action project, seeking to illuminate the experiences of older adults through conversation, collaboration, art, and advocacy. Our goal is to solicit arts-based submissions of any form that capture stories of aging, later life, and intergenerational (dis)connection and we encourage artists to engage in conversation and collaboration with an older adult(s) who have played some role in shaping the artist’s life. The purpose of this storytelling is to cultivate a space for older adults to share aspects of the aging experience that are not typically discussed in legible spaces and terms, so that we all might be better informed, prepared, and inspired for our own aging futures. The project began with a live exhibition of submitted artwork in the Spring of 2022 and continues as a digital exhibition that artists contribute to on an ongoing basis.
Partner Details
Sarah Jen
Assistant Professor, School of Social Welfare; Director, Sigler Family Aging Scholars Program, University of Kansas
Bio
Sarah began working with older adults living with dementia as a teenager and has remained passionate about contributing to the field of gerontology ever since. She has work in aging practice as a volunteer, CNA and social worker in sub-acute, mental health, palliative, hospice, and long-term care settings. As an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Welfare, she teaches courses on social theory and research and aging-related practice. She studies intersections of aging, sexuality, and sexual identity using primarily qualitative and creative methods.
Olivia Sabal
MSW Sigler Family Aging Scholar, University of Kansas
Bio
Olivia Sabal is currently a student at the KU School of Social Welfare. She is passionate about working with older adults and in end-of-life care. Olivia was inspired by caring for her grandparents to enter the field with a focus on Gerontology. She plans to graduate with her BSW in May and will then go on to get her MSW from KU starting in June. Her goal is to work in Hospice care.
Kamri Wolverton
MSW Sigler Family Aging Scholar, University of Kansas
Bio
Kamri Wolverton is currently a social work intern at the Ozark Center in Joplin, MO, a mental health agency serving the adult population. She has a passion for working with older adults, specifically, and advocates for the underserved geriatric population. She plans to become one of two social workers, among many other interdisciplinary members within Ozark Center, to establish, form, and administer direct services to the aging population. Kamri plans to graduate in May of 2022 with a Master’s in Social Welfare.
Tobi Barta
MSW Sigler Family Aging Scholar, University of Kansas
Bio
Tobi Barta loves working with older adults and hearing about their lives and experiences. This is a key reason she decided to become a gerontological social worker. Tobi Barta is completing her clinical social work practicum at a hospice agency, serving rural communities. As a KU Integrated Health Scholar, Barta has committed as an interprofessional to pursue employment in behavioral health within an underserved community. She also serves with the KU Center for Research on Aging and Disability Options, as a MSW Research Scholar, in collaboration for a study on Medicaid/KanCare Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) in Kansas during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Barta is honored to be a Sigler Scholar, which has allowed her to take initiative thoughtfully, creatively, and collaboratively engaging in social change. Tobi looks forward to graduating with her Clinical MSW, from the University of Kansas, May 2022.
