On October 15, the National Guild for Community Arts Education presented the professional development workshop, “Age Equity: The Impact of Ageism on Arts Funding and Programs,” at the 2019 Grantmakers in the Arts Conference: Cultural Intersections in Denver, CO. Adam Johnson, Chief Operating Officer at National Guild for Community Arts Education, moderated the workshop, which also featured Annie Montgomery, Director of Education at Lifetime Arts; Eliza Kiser, Director at Pullen Arts Center; and Teresa Bonner, Executive Director at Aroha Philanthropies.

This highly interactive workshop addressed, “the last socially acceptable prejudice,” ageism and how it is preventing full access to arts learning and engagement for upwards of twenty percent of the U.S. population. This session explored the historical basis and current manifestations of ageism and how it impacts organizational culture, funding practices, and ultimately, older adult learners. In addition, attendees heard from funders and practitioners who are proactively and successfully addressing this issue successfully. Through reflective practice, artmaking, case examples and group dialogue, attendees examined ways to build on the demonstrated success of these interventions and collectively advance age equity in the arts.

“People were surprised that ageism is so rampant, they didn’t know to look for it, or how to recognize it,” said Annie. “Creative Aging programs directly address this bias by providing older adults with positive engaged learning and more visibility in an organization through the culminating event sharing.”