Lifetime Arts and 5 Western States Are Bringing Arts Education Programming to Scale in Rural Communities 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                        
November 20, 2023

NEW YORK — November 20, 2023 — Cross-sector, state-level partnerships are key to sustaining and ensuring access to creative aging programming, especially for older adults in rural communities. Research shows that these arts education programs contribute significantly to healthy aging and increased social connection. The Advancing Creative Aging in Westerns States Initiative, launched in 2023, is designed to deepen and sustain collaboration among state agency partners to advance creative aging in the Western region. Currently the Initiative includes partnership teams in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, and Utah. These teams include leaders from state arts agencies, state libraries, and state veterans services, and will expand to include aging services and health and human services. 

“We are accelerating a collective shift that places arts learning and creative engagement at the core of western states’ older adult programming and ensures that all older adults, especially those with the least access, benefit,” says Lifetime Arts Executive Director Heather Ikemire. 

Lifetime Arts will provide consulting services and information resources for multiple stakeholders across these state agencies. These resources are designed to support new and existing partnerships across state agencies and their constituent organizations. Lifetime Arts also is supporting the development and implementation of up to five creative aging programs in sector-specific host organizations in each state. These programs will serve a total of 500 older adults and help to demonstrate the benefits and efficacy of creative aging.

In May/June 2024, partnership teams in each state will host state convenings for new and existing partners to develop actionable strategies to embed arts education in older adult services. Partners also will discuss the formation of a Western States Creative Aging Leadership Council to align key agencies within and across states towards collective action to advance shared creative aging goals.

Current state partners include:

These states are in the top quarter of the U.S. regarding size, but in the bottom quarter regarding population density, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Older adults living in sparsely populated areas of these states are especially prone to social isolation and disconnection from community engagement. It’s been proven that active arts participation among older adults has resulted in positive feelings, personal and artistic growth, and increased meaningful social interactions. 

This project is generously supported by the May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust. 

The Western States Initiative builds on previous work with these states and others through the National Assembly of State Art Agencies’ Leveraging State Investments in Creative Aging Initiative and the Creative Aging in Wyoming Public Libraries Initiative. The Initiative coincides with and will benefit from Advancing Creative Aging through State Library Leadership – a new, 3-year project funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services led by Lifetime Arts in collaboration with the State Libraries of Wyoming and Missouri, and Califa Group.

About Lifetime Arts
Lifetime Arts fosters healthy aging and social connection for older adults by advancing creative aging across sectors. We do this by providing training, consulting, and information resources to organizations, agencies, and teaching artists; developing new and existing national, state, and local-level partnerships; seeding programs, and documenting impact. Learn more at www.lifetimearts.org.

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