Something monumental is taking root across the West. In Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Montana, and Idaho, state agencies, artists, and community partners are uniting around a simple idea: creativity can transform the way we age.
At the heart of this movement is Creative Aging in the West—a two-year initiative led by the Western States Creative Aging Leadership Council. Together, they’re building a regional coalition to ensure that older adults—especially in rural, frontier, and tribal communities—have meaningful opportunities to connect, learn, and thrive through the arts.
From leather tooling in Wyoming to watercolor sketching in Utah and piano lessons in Idaho, nearly 200 older adults have already taken part, with more programs launching across Nevada and Montana. Nearly 90% reported feeling less isolated, and 98% said their mood and quality of life improved through artmaking. Collaboration is thriving too—60% of partners have built new or stronger relationships in outreach, training, funding, artist recruitment, and festival support.
200
Older Adults Have Already Engaged in Programming
98%
Older Adults Said Their Mood and Quality of Life Improved Through Artmaking
60%
Partners Already Built New or Stronger Relationships
Let’s take a state-by-state look at how Lifetime Arts and our partners are making creative aging accessible, sustainable, and integral to healthy aging across the West.
In Wyoming, artmaking has become a bridge between generations and communities. Five creative aging programs served 62 older adults across small, rural towns—including Buffalo, Thayne, Shoshoni, and Riverton, located on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
Programs ranged from leather tooling at the Buffalo Senior Center to lapidary at Maker Space 307, which engaged Tribal community members and helped participants discover new passions while reconnecting with neighbors.
By coming together for this programming, we were able to help individuals socialize with new people and encourage them to be not only creative, but also to pursue creative endeavors and try new things.”
Maker Space 307 Staff Member
Wyoming’s state team also launched a virtual peer learning network for creative aging practitioners, connecting nearly 20 artists and organizations in its first session. Behind the scenes, the Wyoming Department of Health’s Aging Division joined the statewide coalition—and the Wyoming Arts Council secured an extra $100,000 to expand programming. That’s serious momentum!
Idaho has seen creative aging take root—and flourish. What began with just three library sites in 2024 has grown to 14 in 2025, offering everything from watercolor painting to piano lessons. Six programs were supported through this initiative, reaching 68 older adults across cities and small towns.
The Idaho Commission for Libraries is now launching the state’s first Creative Aging Teaching Artist Roster to connect libraries, community centers, and arts organizations with trained teaching artists. Listening sessions filled quickly, with waitlists forming soon after.
Saddlemaker Shelley Ensley teaches leather tooling in the Idaho State Veterans Home in Lewiston. Credit: Arts Idaho
An older adult practices drawing with charcoal at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Lewiston.Credit: Arts Idaho
Meanwhile, the Idaho Division of Veterans Services and Idaho Commission on the Arts are bringing creative workshops—led by teaching artists and shaped by veterans—to all four Veterans Homes, sparking learning, connection, and joy. With new funding for eight additional programs, Idaho isn’t just piloting creative aging—it’s powering a statewide movement.
Utah: Where Creative Aging Meets a Statewide Festival
In Utah, creativity is bringing communities together through art and celebration. Five creative aging programs across small towns like Nephi, Kanab, and Parowan engaged 65 older adults in ceramics, sketch booking, and painting—culminating in art shows that drew 162 community members to celebrate their work.
This art community has become my only socialization, along with the senior center, since I moved to Tooele 5 years ago.
Moments from the Nevada Statewide Convening in Reno last year. Credit: Eric Marks
Nevada’s creative aging scene is growing from the ground up—and the results are already impressive. The Nevada Creative Aging Coalition held its second statewide convening in Henderson this year, following its first in Reno in 2024. Arts and aging advocates, health professionals, and educators came together to strengthen connections and share ideas. Their efforts are paying off: the Nevada State Arts Council earned a $75,000 NEA grant to expand arts and wellness initiatives focused on older adults and teaching artist training.
Big skies, bold ideas. Montana is laying the groundwork for long-term impact by developing its first teaching artist database and website dedicated to creative aging. The platform will help organizations easily find and connect with trained artists—and serve as a virtual gathering place for collaboration and support.
Meanwhile, five creative aging programs are underway, engaging older adults across the state. This new digital hub will ensure that even Montana’s most rural and frontier communities have access to artmaking opportunities.
The Numbers Behind the Movement
100+
Teaching Artists and Organization Staff Trained Across 5 States
This year, over a hundredteaching artists and organization staff were trained across five states — nearly halfway to the project’s two-year goal of 250 participants.
The Creative Aging Co-Lab has also become a buzzing network where practitioners can continue to share resources, swap ideas, and solve challenges together across state lines.
The Western States Leadership Council now includes 20 representatives from 12 state agencies, all working to expand creative aging access. And across the region, 70% of partners have already secured or realigned funding to sustain programs beyond this grant cycle.
In short, creative aging has grown from a meaningful enrichment into an essential practice—one that’s reshaping systems, strengthening cross-sector collaboration, and redefining how states support their aging populations.
70%
Funding Already Secured or Realigned by Partners to Sustain Programs Beyond This Grant
Looking Ahead: A Creative + Healthy Future
By the end of 2026, the Western States initiative will have trained 250 professionals, engaged 25 state agency partners, and served 600 older adults through 75 programs. A new Partner and Funder Education Guidebook— launching in early 2026 — will help leaders and funders champion the cause in every sector, from arts to health care.
As one Wyoming host put it, “When older adults come together for these programs, they don’t just make art—they make community.”
Across the West, that’s exactly what’s happening—one partnership, one program, and one shared vision at a time.
Imagine creative aging flourishing in your state—it’s closer than you think. Lifetime Arts is ready to support your effort to build a regional coalition, or simply help to build cross-sector connections in your state. Are you a state arts agency? Join 25+ state arts agencies already leading this national movement. Let’s get started together.
