Drop a pebble in a pond, and the ripples extend to wider and wider circles. This is our goal when we seed new Creative Aging programs, provide technical assistance and guidance to manage these programs, professionally develop teaching artists, and demonstrate the impact of our work at conferences across the country. As we come to …
“That’s what great artists do: They challenge themselves.” So said stage director Deborah Warner, when asked in an interview for the New York Times, why Glenda Jackson wanted to take on the title role in King Lear. At age 80, Ms. Jackson, a two-time Oscar winner (“Women in Love” and “A Touch of Class”), is coming …
At the center of a truly great Creative Aging program is the teaching artist. They are the boots on the ground, who are teaching new skills to curious minds and turning a group of strangers into lifelong friends. Teaching artists make the learning fun and engaging, and they accomplish all of this with a sense …
Ashton Applewhite was recently named Influencer of the Year by Next Avenue atop their list of 50 Influencers of Aging for 2016. A writer based in Brooklyn, New York, Ashton is the author of the recently released (and enthusiastically reviewed) This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism. Applewhite blogs at her website, This Chair Rocks, has written …
Lauren Jost What is your primary artistic medium? I consider my primary medium to be storytelling. I direct (and occasionally perform in) theatre performances for very young children, and I use visual language, puppetry, music, and words to compose stories that spark imaginations and playfulness. A great deal of my teaching artist work involves crafting …
“The survey showed that the overwhelming majority (96%) of respondents are interested in teaching art to older adults.” This is the last of three national surveys, investigating Creative Aging and teaching artistry this year. It’s no surprise that the survey revealed strong interest among teaching artists in working with older adults. Teaching Artists Speak! – …
Now what? Most of my friends are either about to retire or recently moved past it. For the people who are currently retired, they run the gamut. Those in more than fine financial shape (not too many) frequently travel to visit friends, or just get away and explore. At the other end of the retirement …
Jeremiah Jenner What is your primary artistic medium? Digital and 35mm film photography. I received my first camera, a Kodak 126 Instamatic, from my mother when I was only five years old. Since that day, the camera rarely leaves my fingertips. I enjoy learning and exploring new ways to create art through this medium. I …
Aroha Philanthropies has awarded nearly $500,000 in grants to 15 nonprofits through its “Seeding Artful Aging initiative,” and we are proud to announce our involvement in the upcoming initiative. We will provide training, program development, and technical assistance services to all grantees throughout this two-year project. “Chosen from a highly competitive field of more than …
Why Work? We just celebrated Labor Day, and I’ve been thinking a lot about my relationship to work. Claudia Shear’s play, Blown Sideways Through Life, is a one person autobiographical tour through the litany of the sixty-six jobs she held up to that point in her life. It was an Off-Broadway hit in the early …
We are thrilled to announce our newly updated Lifetime Arts’ Creative Aging Roster. Our Roster is constantly growing with new teaching artists, and our newly added features will help save time in locating and reaching out to the teaching artist of your choice. Take a look at: www.lifetimearts.org/roster/members What is the Creative Aging Roster? The …
As we reach the half way point in the year we’d like to share with you what has been happening at Lifetime Arts since the end of 2015. CREATIVE AGING IN AMERICA’S LIBRARIES This three-year project, funded primarily by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), has supported 72 Creative Aging workshops in public libraries …
Antonia Perez What is your primary artistic medium? I have been working with used plastic bags as my primary medium since 2008. I collect them from a range of sources and transform them by crocheting them into a variety of sculptural forms. I also collect other discarded materials such as tissue boxes, household textiles and …
“National survey results: SAAs reveal strong interest in Creative Aging” This is our second of three national surveys, investigating Creative Aging and Teaching Artistry. This survey addresses the roles that state arts agencies (SAAs) play in providing training for teaching artists in Creative Aging, and to what extent they support programming in this field. Forty-three …
In my effort to have these monthly missives reflect days or months that are observed annually, I considered Nectarine Month, National Drive Thru Day, Barbie-in-a-Blender Day, Sports Cliché Day, and many others. I fall back, however, to the most obvious- Independence Day. It made me think about our individual independence. That enviable quality held in …
Lori Adams What is your primary artistic medium? Photography. How did you get started as a teaching artist? I have always enjoyed explaining how things work to others, and had been told I was good at it. When given an opportunity to teach workshops in photography, I tried it, and it gave me much satisfaction. …
Father’s Day is this month. Two things come to mind: 1. Where are the men? In our Creative Aging workshops around the country, no matter where we look or what arts discipline is offered, the ratio of women to men is about 8.5:1. It’s too simple to say that women live longer than men, and so …
Will Clipman What is your primary artistic medium? I’m a multi-disciplinary artist precisely because no one medium I work in is more or less engaging to me than another; so I’d have to say I have an equal artistic passion for and professional commitment to music, creative writing, maskmaking, storytelling, the performing and recording arts, …
By Ed Friedman Old?…Yeah… So? May has been designated Older Americans Month (OAM) by the Administration on Aging since 1963. OAM acknowledges the contributions of older people in the U.S. led by the Administration for Community Living, and the annual observance offers the opportunity to learn about, support, and celebrate our nation’s older citizens. So… …
This month we are highlighting 40 teaching artists that have been added to our Roster in 2016. This means we now have 180 roster artists, in 20 states, and in many artistic disciplines!!! We are so excited to continue growing and expanding with such a wonderful group of artists. Lifetime Arts’ Creative Aging Roster is a free …
By Ed Friedman Shush! It’s National Library Week (April 10-16). But rather than whisper we’d like to loudly acknowledge all the great work that emanates from libraries throughout the country. Of course, at Lifetime Arts, we have long recognized the value of public libraries as community cultural centers. Additionally, they are safe havens, oases if …
Hermine Meinhard What is your primary artistic medium? I am a poet and was a late bloomer. Though I wrote stories under the nightlight as a child and in high school, I didn’t come to poetry seriously until my thirties. I love that writing is an art form you can begin at any age. How …
Celia Caro What is your primary artistic medium? I’m a mixed-media artist and work primarily with drawing, painting and collage. I also make comic zines (self-published magazines.) My work is always about storytelling, so I combine text and image and focus on narrative. How did you get started as a teaching artist? I started after …
Dave Johnson What is your primary artistic medium? Often described as two minute plays in verse, my poems pursue a lyrical narrative that work toward a crescendo and reveal. How did you get started as a teaching artist? I began as a teaching artist in 1991 when I was working as office manager for Poets …
National survey results: Ageism heads the list of challenges in developing teaching artist training in Creative Aging This first report of three national surveys investigating Creative Aging and Teaching Artistry offers an interesting snapshot of the state of teaching artist training in Creative Aging. 50 arts organizations told us about their programming for older adults …
Mary Crescenzo What is your primary artistic medium? My primary medium, which crosses both literary and commercial markets, is Literary Arts to include play writing, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and essays. How did you get started as a teaching artist? As a multidisciplinary artist, I earned my BA in Arts Education from Lehman College and taught in the …
