In marginalized communities, especially Black communities, access to arts education has historically been limited. However, creative aging programs like those at Doolittle Senior Center are working to fill that gap, providing older adults with opportunities for creative expression, skill-building, and community engagement. This is the story of how one such program is making an impact in Las Vegas's Historic Westside.
Hello! I'm Dixie, and I’d love to share my experience in the Creative Aging Woodworking class for adults 55+ at Gillette College’s Area 59, a fantastic maker-space in my home state of Wyoming.
By Liza Cucco This month, I spoke to Emily Christensen, a musician, gerontologist, and creative aging advocate, on her journey and insights into working with older adults through music therapy and creative aging. Q: How has your journey through music, therapy, and gerontology shaped your work with older adults? EC: I started out with a …
Learn more about two innovative programs implemented via a partnership between the Utah Museum of Fine Arts and Utah Pride Center and explore more creative aging programs and resources that support the needs and interests of the LGBTQIA+ community.
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.
In May and June, 2022, Lifetime Arts provided nearly 40 hours of training and professional development services (in-person and via the Lifetime Arts Portal) to over 200 state arts agencies, museum staff, and teaching artists across the country as part of the national and statewide initiatives Leveraging State Investments in Creative Aging and Advancing Creative Aging in Arizona's West Valley. Below we share some highlights from these professional development opportunities and emerging partnership opportunities this fall.
n the Leveraging State Investments in Creative Aging Initiative supported by E.A. Michelson Philanthropy, Lifetime Arts partnered with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies to grow their creative aging programs, practices, and partnerships with 21 state arts agencies across the country. In this post, teaching artists and organizational staff share their insights on the impact that our training has made in their practices, institutions, and communities. Additionally, the Lifetime Arts team shares insights on working with our partners and trainees.
In the Creative Aging in Wyoming Public Libraries Initiative, Lifetime Arts partnered with the Wyoming State Library and Wyoming Arts Council to implement creative aging programming in 23 county libraries throughout the state. In this post, we highlight some examples of creative aging programs that were offered through this initiative, and share insights from library program coordinators, older adult participants, and the Lifetime Arts team.
The New York State Creative Aging Initiative, an innovative partnership between The New York State Council on the Arts, The New York State Office for the Aging, and Lifetime Arts launched during the middle of the pandemic concluded in February 2022. Lifetime Arts trained and coached staff members from 7 area agencies on aging and nearly 70 New York state based teaching artists to plan, design, and implement 14 remote creative aging programs throughout the state.
advancing arts education programming in Brooklyn public libraries — has proven to serve as an anti-isolation remote program model for public library systems.
The following are examples of programs offered in museums across the U.S. — during and immediately prior to the pandemic — in which teaching artists centered their curriculum in Black cultures and history and/or taught media inspired by Black and Brown artists.
A run-down of creative aging work we have been doing with state agencies, urban library systems, museums, and arts organizations around the U.S.
In this post, we highlight a series of programs that are happening this summer as part of new and ongoing creative aging initiatives.
Debra Pasquerette, teaching artist and Manager of Community Engagement at The Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts in Beverly Hills CA, was teaching, “Staged Stories,” a storytelling/memoir program when the crisis forced her to cancel the culminating event. Debra designed a new extended curriculum that stretches well beyond the original eight week series that allows students to meet every week through a two-hour Zoom session.
“I think Zoom is a good platform because our members have the option to call in [by phone] — even from a landline,” said Laura Marceca, Director of Greenwich House Senior Center on the Square. Laura has been thrilled to see that classes are very well attended and are attracting new students.
MAKING A POP-UP MEMORY PAGE with Spica Wobbe & Karen Oughtred | PART 1: Materials and Tools | Making the Base Page Queens, NY is one of the most international places in the world. The Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts have set up a program called FTH at Home: Global Arts for Global …
The Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, Universidad de Puerto Rico, part of the Seeding Vitality Arts in Museums Cohort, were at the end of their self-portrait program when COVID-19 impacted in-person programming. With two classes left unfinished, the museum's staff and teaching artist joined forces to design and implement an online session which gave students the opportunity to socially engage with one another, share their culminating work, and end the program as a community.
In January, at the culminating event for, “A Storied Life,” a 12-week digital storytelling workshop offered by the Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) in partnership with The Knolls, a Bethel Community, eight filmmakers — all aged 55+ — wowed a packed screening room with digital film shorts depicting personal stories of love, loss, and discovery. …
Earlier this year, Mayor Martin J. Walsh along with the Age Strong Commission and the Office of Arts and Culture announced a partnership with Goddard House Community Initiatives and Lifetime Arts that has brought free participatory arts programming to older adults in the city’s Jamaica Plain, Mattapan and South End neighborhoods. The Creative Aging Program (CAP) …
This month, the Union County Historical Society and Heritage Museum held their culminating event for the workshop, Journeys Through Clay, part of the Seeding Vitality Arts in Museums Initiative. The program was funded by E.A. Michelson Philanthropy and training and technical assistance was provided by Lifetime Arts. Below are videos that captured the workshop, which featured …
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the launch of a three-region Creative Aging Initiative to provide hands-on art-making programs that support comprehensive physical and mental health benefits for older New Yorkers and combat social isolation. Created by a new partnership of the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York State Office for the Aging, the Creative Aging Initiative takes an innovative, evidence-based approach to healthy aging, underscoring New York's leadership as the first age-friendly state in the nation.
Arts programming throughout the City to be tailored to older adults BOSTON – Friday, October 11, 2019 – Mayor Martin J. Walsh along with the Age Strong Commission and the Office of Arts and Culture today announced a partnership with Goddard House Community Initiatives and Lifetime Arts that brings free arts programming to older adults …
Our population of adults over age 55 in the U.S. is rapidly growing, and research shows that participatory arts education programs for older adults foster positive aging and healthier lives. To support the establishment of new programs like this at Guild member organizations across the country, the National Guild for Community Arts Education is …
“We compartmentalize our community, and particularly when it comes to age, this begins early on in our lives. We are missing huge opportunities for intergenerational knowledge to be shared in a reciprocal experiential way that provides the space for connection and empathy in ways that traditional educational experiences do not. I would say that things …
School of Drag, a Creative Aging program collaboration between the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson, AZ (MOCA) and Fluxx Productions, is a 10-week workshop series that invites 55+ LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual, non-binary, pansexual, etc.) community members to explore art, narrative and performance which culminates into a showcase featuring performers …
This fall older adults at West Michigan Center for the Arts and Technology learned shibori, a traditional Japanese fiber art, through Catalyzing Creative Aging, Lifetime Arts’ partnership with the National Guild for Community Arts Education. Teaching Artist John Cox led participants through a 12-week beginner level workshop. Shibori is a resist dyeing method that creates patterns by …
This year more than 900 people aged 55+ from New Mexico to New Hampshire attended 65 Creative Aging programs in public libraries, arts organizations, and community spaces where they mastered new art-making skills such as digital photography, acting, creative writing, singing, and dancing. How do these programs work? These arts workshops were offered through several …
Twenty nonprofit arts education organizations have been selected to participate in the National Guild for Community Arts Education’s Catalyzing Creative Aging Program. This multi-phase initiative, provided in partnership with Lifetime Arts, is designed to support the establishment of new, professionally-led arts education programs for older adults that increase social engagement and mastery of one or …
The National Guild for Community Arts Education is pleased to announce that 10 nonprofit arts education organizations from 9 states have been selected to receive seed grants of $7,000 each to support the launch of new, innovative arts education programming for older adults in their communities. Research shows that participation in activities that foster creative …
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Aroha Philanthropies Announces National Initiative in Collaboration with the American Alliance of Museums and Lifetime Arts MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Aroha Philanthropies, the American Alliance of Museums, and Lifetime Arts announced today that they will collaborate to launch Seeding Vitality Arts in Museums, a new national initiative developed, funded and managed by …
NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Five Westchester County senior service organizations have each been awarded $2,500 by Lifetime Arts to plan and implement Creative Aging programs as part of the “Creative Aging in Westchester County” initiative, generously supported by the Westchester Community Foundation. Designed and administered by Lifetime Arts the project increases the capacity of these …
Arts education programs enhance the well-being of older adults New York, NY—Twenty nonprofit arts education organizations from 14 states have been selected to participate in the National Guild for Community Arts Education’s Catalyzing Creative Aging Program. This multi-phase initiative, provided in partnership with Lifetime Arts, is designed to support the establishment of new, professionally led …
Lifetime Arts to lead major effort to advance Creative Aging movement in NYC FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 3, 2018 New Rochelle, NY — Lifetime Arts, Inc. announced today the receipt of a $600,000 grant from The New York Community Trust (NYCT) in support of a two-year effort to evaluate and strengthen Creative Aging programs in New …
New Rochelle, NY– Lifetime Arts and Aroha Philanthropies announced today the launch of a new, three-year 1.5 Million National Impact Initiative, funded by Aroha and led by Lifetime Arts. As the benefits of arts engagement for older adults gain recognition, more and more community organizations, policymakers and funders are turning to Lifetime Arts to provide …
Catalyzing Creativity in NYC’s Senior Service Organizations NEW ROCHELLE, NY – Ten NYC senior service organizations have each been awarded a grant of $7,500 to plan and implement Creative Aging projects as part of the Catalyzing Creativity initiative, a pioneering city-wide program designed to improve the quality of life of older New Yorkers through arts …
Two of our master teaching artists, Lauren Jost and Dave Johnson are co-teaching a memoir class titled “I Know a Thing or Two”, at the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. The sessions are well attended with participants sharing their experiences and diverse backgrounds as the impetus for their stories. Lifetime Arts’ work in …
