Category: Awards & Recognition

Creative Aging Powered by Connection, Collaboration, and Celebration

A photo of two older adult Asian/Pacific Islander women standing in front of a wall of artwork. They are smiling and not looking directly at the camera. One woman has long, silver/grey hair and is wearing a grey sweater and jeans. She is carrying a brown purse on her shoulder. The other woman has grey/silver hair pulled back. She is wearing a black shirt with a silver/white coat and jeans. She is carrying a black over the shoulder bag.

This year’s theme for Older Americans Month is “Powered by Connection,” which recognizes the impact that meaningful relationships and social connections have on our health and wellbeing. Connectedness is what fuels the power of creative aging programs for older adults, and it begins with us and those we partner with. Fostering communities where everyone is seen as valued, creative, and contributing members to society is only possible when there’s a strong pillar of creative aging leaders, practitioners, and advocates supporting each other. Let’s explore how our work in creative aging is powered by connection, collaboration, and celebration!

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Lifetime Arts Co-Founder Maura O’Malley Announces Her “Rewirement!”

After 15 years of leading Lifetime Arts, our beloved and tremendously visionary co-founder and CEO, Maura O’Malley will be officially “rewiring” at the end of this year. No, that isn’t a typo. Rewiring is an alternative to retiring. It underscores that as we age and move through different life stages, we continue to learn, create, and try …

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Lifetime Arts Co-Founder Named 2024 AARP Purpose Prize® Award Fellow

Lifetime Arts is thrilled to announce that its Co-Founder/CEO, Maura O’Malley, has been named a 2024 AARP Purpose Prize® Award Fellow. The AARP Purpose Prize® Award is a national recognition that honors a select group of people aged 50-plus who have proven that they are using their knowledge and life experience to make a difference. As part of this award, Lifetime Arts will receive $10,000 and a year of technical support to help deepen and expand its creative aging work nationally.

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Remembering Ann deVere: A Passionate Artist, Teacher, and Community Builder

We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Ann deVere, a veteran teaching artist, architect, and Lifetime Arts Trainer. As a native New Yorker with a visual arts concentration in printmaking, Ann taught classes and workshops in public schools, cultural centers, and arts organizations throughout NYC, in addition to implementing arts programming for all ages. Throughout her teaching artist career, she engaged her students in critical discourse, concept development, and creative problem solving — all the while drawing upon their imaginations. Her students developed a sense of their own capabilities, discovered their ideas have value, and learned how they can enrich the environments around them.

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Lifetime Arts Announces the Promotion of Heather Ikemire to Executive Director

A headshot of Heather Ikemire, Executive Director for Lifetime Arts. She has long blonde hair and blue eyes. She is wearing a blue blouse.

Lifetime Arts proudly announces the promotion of Heather Ikemire to the position of Executive Director. Heather’s promotion coincides with Lifetime Arts’ 15th anniversary year as a national service organization for creative aging. With her leadership, the organization is poised to launch a new phase of programming and cross-sector collaboration to accelerate the impact of creative aging nationwide.

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2022: The Year in Review

If there's one thing that we can take away from our collaborative work in 2022, it's that responsive, purposeful, and accessible arts education programming is a foundational pillar for lifelong learning. This work can only be achieved when every older adult is seen, valued, creative, proud, and part of a community. We couldn’t have accomplished this work without the abundant support of our staff, trainers, partners, and funders.

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Lifelong Learning in the Arts with NYU Alumni Changemaker Maura O’Malley (Audio + Transcript)

This year, Maura O'Malley, Lifetime Arts CEO and Co-Founder, was named a NYU Alumni Changemaker for her 40+ years of experience in the arts and public sector, specifically for creating infrastructure around sustainable and anti-ageist arts education programming for older adults nationwide.

In this interview, Maura discusses her life in the arts and public sector; how she overcame challenges and obstacles in pursuing this work; and how she received buy-in from stakeholders. Maura also discusses how she envisions positive growth in the creative aging field and how it intersects with equitable, lifelong learning opportunities for all.

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Lifetime Arts Co-founders Recognized as Teaching Artist Allies

On Friday, May 17, the Association of Teaching Artists (ATA), the oldest, independent organization serving teaching artists in the country, held its 2019 Awards ceremony in New York City, to honor artist educators who have made a significant impact on the field of Teaching Artistry and to kick-off Teaching Artist Appreciation Week (May 20-27). Lifetime …

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Lifetime Arts Honored with Community Award

Arts Westchester Arts Award 2018

Lifetime Arts is grateful to be among this year’s esteemed group of individuals and organizations whom Arts Westchester is honoring as the “creative heart and soul” of the county. This particular recognition is especially meaningful as we celebrate our 10th anniversary as a Westchester-based nonprofit. Now partnering with and serving organizations across the United States, …

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Lifetime Arts CEO Recognized as a Top “Influencer in Aging”

Maura O’Malley, Co-founder and CEO of Lifetime Arts, has been recognized as one of Next Avenue’s Top 50 “Influencers in Aging” for 2017. Next Avenue, part of the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), is the only digital publication dedicated to covering issues for people 50 and older. Its third annual list of the Top 50 Influencers in Aging, includes advocates, …

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Lifetime Arts Receives 2013 National Library Week Award from WLS

On April 18, Lifetime Arts co-founders Maura O’Malley and Ed Friedman received the 2013 National Library Week Recognition Award from the Westchester Library System (WLS) for their outstanding contribution to public libraries.

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WLS to Honor Lifetime Arts with National Libary Week Recognition Award

Lifetime Arts is pleased to announce that we will be honored by Westchester Library System (WLS) with a National Library Week Recognition Award at their 22nd Annual Book & Author Luncheon on Thursday, April 18, 2013 which will be held at CV Rich Mansion in White Plains, NY. First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week …

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Lifetime Arts Receives MetLife Foundation Creativity & Aging in America Leadership Award!

BEGINTAG2012/04/la-workshopv1.jpg?w=300ENDTAG In March 2012, the National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA) announced the winners of the MetLife Foundation Creativity and Aging in America Leadership Award, recognizing Lifetime Arts in the category Lifelong Learning. This Award honors exceptional programs in health and wellness, lifelong learning, and community engagement. The other winners were: Alzheimer’s Poetry Project, community …

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