I’ve become hyper-aware of the plethora of articles being published on the electronic and print media with titles such as, “The Best Places to Retire,” “The Ten Best Places to Age,” and “Places Where Your Retirement Dollars Will Go Further.” Most of these stories feature places with warm climates (Florida and rest of the Sun Belt), or locations where real estate is less expensive (The Midwest).
The more sophisticated measurements of “the best” factor in crime rate, walkability, and health care options. Often there’s a cursory mention of cultural amenities, such as a symphony orchestra, or if it’s a college town, the availability of lectures (somewhat offset by the prospect of students throwing up on your lawn after a night of binge drinking).
I spend a lot of column inches talking about generating (or regenerating) an interest in artmaking but what if you already have the interest, belong to an artist community (avocational or professional) and you’re considering relocating in retirement? We certainly live in a world connected by the internet but as we’ve learned from participants in many of our Creative Aging programs, there’s no substitute for engaging with others in artmaking activities.
So what do you do if you’re considering a move and want to choose a location where you’re likely to find arts enthusiasts in your discipline? A few suggestions:
Meetup.com
Certainly the internet is invaluable. You can find out so much about a particular city or town without putting on your coat. A specific resource with national reach is Meetup (https://www.meetup.com) This site lets you search for groups of people who gather around common interests. A participant in a recent Lifetime Arts memoir workshop announced that she was moving to Texas. She went on to say that she had already researched Meetups in Houston, and found a writing group before she even got on the plane to leave!
Arts Councils
My first stop would be the local and/or state arts council. They’re generally repositories for information about arts organizations and can provide not only contact information but usually some insights about how they operate. You can find the local arts councils for each state using the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies’ State Art Agency Directory.
Local Media and Libraries
Another way to find out what arts activities are taking place in a community is looking at a local newspaper. Most communities have a local paper and local organizations and artist make extensive use of them when trying to generate audiences. And of course don’t forget the local libraries. They’re all fonts of information but my experience is the smaller the community the more pivotal role the library plays as a community cultural partner.
On Foot
Just investigating your new community in person can reap rewards. A teaching artist in one of our Westchester County programs stumbled upon the opportunity while visiting a local synagogue in her new neighborhood.
So if you have to leave your arts community behind, don’t despair. Folks like us are everywhere. It just might take a little leg work.
