Lifetime Arts Works with 21 State Art Agencies to Increase Capacity for Creative Aging Programs via NASAA Effort

A screenshot from a Lifetime Arts remote training for Oklahoma teaching artists. They are holding up their artwork.
Teaching artists in Oklahoma hold up their collages, as part of a demonstration class led by Lifetime Arts Trainer, Antonia Perez, during the Creative Aging Foundations course from Lifetime Arts.

As part of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies‘ (NASAA) Leveraging State Investments in Creative Aging Initiative, generously supported by E.A. Michelson Philanthropy, Lifetime Arts has been working with 21 state arts agencies to grow their creative aging practice, partnerships, and programming.

From May 2021-April 2022, Lifetime Arts provided over 200 hours of remote training for 850+ arts council staff, teaching artists, library programmers, arts, cultural, and senior service organization staff through the Lifetime Arts Portal. Training and coaching continues through August:

Ohio Arts Council ConveningMay 10
New Jersey State Council on the Arts Creative Aging Learning Lab (CALLab) TrainingMay 26
New Jersey State Council on the Arts Creative Aging Intro Webinar for LibrariansJune 8
Alabama State Council on the Arts Training for Teaching ArtistsJune 13-15
Alabama State Council on the Arts Training for Arts Organization StaffJune 20-22
Oklahoma Arts Council ConveningAugust 25-26

Nevada Doubles Down on Creative Aging

“Of special note is our work with the Nevada Arts Council,” said Julie Kline, Director of Education and Training. “It’s one of our largest state collaborations where we trained 2 cohorts each of Nevada teaching artists and librarians in the creative aging arts education model, did one-on-one curriculum development with 30 of the teaching artists, and are currently providing programmatic coaching and technical assistance as trainees launch pilot programs at libraries, museums, and other community centers across the state.”

“Listening to my fellow writing instructors plan their classes, and also seeing how Lifetime Arts instructors incorporate socializing and movement into their presentations provided excellent models of how this type of instruction can work.”

Teaching Artist, Nevada

Wyoming Recognizes the Long-Term Benefits of Arts Engagement for Older Adults

In this video, storytelling instructor, Grace Cannon, and older adult participants from The Hub on Smith share their experiences during the storytelling and movement creative aging programs offered at The WYO Performing Arts & Education Center. Credit: Wyoming Arts Council

The WYO Performing Arts & Education Center in Sheridan partnered with The Hub on Smith to offer two creative aging programs in storytelling and movement. Both programs were supported by the Wyoming Arts Council.

The Positive Impact of State-Level Commitment to Creative Aging

A staff member from the Idaho Commission on the Arts expressed a renewed confidence during the training: “… [Creative aging in Idaho] will happen now. The commitment from top to bottom at Idaho Veteran Services tells me that they will make sure it does. That is a level of institutional commitment I see less often in schools toward arts ed. If you’re already talking budget early on, that means it matters to you.”

This experience was meaningful to a teaching artist from Maine: “Learning how many good teaching artists are out there with similar skills and values, and how much more good we can achieve [collectively] in improving the quality of community life [is motivating].”

And an arts organization staffer in Oklahoma remarked with relief that: “…. even though I’m in a rural area, I might actually be able to get programming for my residents.”

Confidence (backed by commitment) is everything!