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 …
Year: 2018
Peyton Scott Russell
Born in Minneapolis, MN, Peyton’s earliest memories as a child were making art and being creative. This continued into high school where he discovered graffiti art from the film Style Wars in 1984. This consumed his art interest. A portfolio of traditional art and graffiti influenced works helped earn acceptance into the School of the …
Training Teaching Artists, Community Centers, Museums, and Arts Orgs
This fall Lifetime Arts has delivered of live Creative Aging training sessions in New York City, around the state, and across the country. Community Centers In October, Lifetime Arts made two separate trips to the YMCA of Greater Syracuse. On the first trip, the team oriented the executive director and key program leaders to the …
Fall 2018 Highlights
As a result of three major Creative Aging initiatives running programs this fall as a result of our training and technical support — The Catalyzing Creativity initiative in New York City, funded by the Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; Catalyzing Creative Aging, a project in partnership with the National Guild for Community Arts Education; …
“On the Road” Updates
October 2018 On October 25, our Executive Director, Ed Friedman, delivered the opening Keynote Address, “Creative Aging in Community Settings” at the Brookdale Foundation Group’s 2018 Annual Conference held at the Marriott Hotel in Teaneck, New Jersey. The conference was attended by over 200 people representing organizations from 35 states. The Group’s major initiatives are: …
Bringing Creative Aging to TAP Cohort
As mentioned earlier this fall, Lifetime Arts, Inc. is proudly teaming up with the Teaching Artist Project (TAP) Cohort, a division of Community-Word Project (CWP). TAP is a comprehensive training and internship hosted by CWP and designed to prepare artists to bring their craft into K-12 classrooms. The TAP Cohort is a network of arts organizations …
Spotlight: Shibori Workshop, West Michigan Center for Arts & Technology
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 …
Westchester County Senior Hall of Fame
The Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services sponsors the Westchester County Senior Hall of Fame, celebrating outstanding older adults in this New York state county for their achievements and contributions to their communities and beyond. Since 1983 over 1,100 seniors have been inducted into this prestigious group at the awards luncheon that hosts over 500 …
What’s Age Got to Do with It?
Earlier this year I surmised in this column that things may be changing for older actors (especially female) who seem historically to have fewer and fewer opportunities as they age. I wrote about a quartet of older actors starring in the popular film Book Club. Of course these were all “A” list actors and box …
David DeBlieck
Mr. DeBlieck’s teaching credits include faculty lecturer at the University of Hawaii (1995-1997), where he taught courses in modern dance technique and advanced Labanotation, Augsburg College (2005-2015) where he taught Creative Drama, Introduction to Theatre, Dance for Musical Theatre and Introduction to Dance, and at St Cloud State University (2009-2015) where he taught dance composition …
Fall 2018 Schedule of Culminating Events (US)
Attend a Creative Aging Event Near You Thanks to the generous support of Aroha Philanthropies, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the NAMM Foundation, and the Music Man Foundation, this fall nearly 100 culminating events in 15 states will showcase older adults making art and friendships across the United States. The culminating events (a.k.a., …
Creative Aging Program Roundup
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 …
Marta Sanchez
Marta Sanchez is a teaching artist and visual artist living and working in Philadelphia, PA. She has taught at several community centers and universities including the Tyler School of Art, St. Joseph’s University, Taller Puertorriqueño, and The Mann Senior Center. Her work is part of several permanent collections including Yale University, University of Michigan, University …
What Will I Do (About Retirement)?
This week, Stria, a new media platform focusing on the longevity market, published a column by our co-founder and executive director, Ed Friedman, on retirement choice and how those developing products and messaging for this demographic might think differently about their approach. Visit strianews.com to read Ed’s column and to explore trends, topics, ideas, and …
Second Cohort of 20 Arts Orgs Selected for Catalyzing Creative Aging Program
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 …
Lifetime Arts to Join Community-Word Project TAP Cohort
Community-Word Project, a New York City based 501(c)(3) arts-in-education organization that inspires children in under-served communities to read, interpret, and respond to their world and to become active citizens through collaborative arts residencies and teacher training programs, has invited Lifetime Arts to be a member organization of the Teaching Artist Project (TAP) Cohort. As part of …
Ed Takes a Detour: Stay in Your Lane AAA
Photo by Diego Jimenez on Unsplash A recent communication from the Automobile Club of America (AAA) has caused me to take a slight detour from my musings on art and aging. The communication in question is titled “55 Reasons It’s Great to Be Over 55.” I’ll skip over the implication that we have to be convinced …
20 Museums Tapped for Initiative to Create Learning Opportunities For Older Adults
Lifetime Arts to train and support educators at 20 museums across the U.S. as they develop and implement high-quality, intensive arts learning opportunities for older adults. Arlington, VA – Aroha Philanthropies, the American Alliance of Museums, and Lifetime Arts announced today that 20 museums and organizations have been tapped to participate in a new initiative, …
NYC Senior Center, Teaching Artist, and Arts Organization Training Update
Lifetime Arts is currently training teaching artists and staff at New York City senior centers and arts organizations how to plan, design, and deliver Creative Aging programming. Annie Montgomery, Lifetime Arts’ director of education, led a training for senior center staff this month at the Brooklyn Public Library’s main branch. Through our experiential, hands-on seminars …
Creative Aging in Southern Wisconsin Libraries
“I want to get started immediately!” This week Lifetime Arts traveled to southern Wisconsin to deliver two full-day professional development workshops on Creative Aging programming for public librarians working in suburban and rural libraries there. We began the week on Tuesday in Brookfield where we worked with 26 librarians from the greater Milwaukee area. The …
Ed Talks About Arts on Prescription
I Get By With a Little Help from My… Most all of my contemporaries are on some kind of medication regimen. Whether it’s for high blood pressure, cholesterol, bladder issues, hormone replacement, blood sugar — it seems like we’re all on something (and not in a fun way like the 70s). A history of less …
10 Arts Org Receive Grants Via Catalyzing Creative Aging Program
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 …
The Wellness Movement That’s Empowering Older Adults to Become Artists
Artsy, an online platform for collecting and discovering art, has as its mission “to make all the world’s art accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.” Recently, Artsy Magazine interviewed Maura O’Malley, Lifetime Arts’ co-founder and CEO, about the way arts learning, skill-building, and social engagement — the tenets of creative aging — are increasing …
Thomas Boyd
Thomas Boyd is a master teaching artist, songwriter, and prolific writer of prose. His songs have appeared on “Rock ‘n’ Roots,” a public radio music program. He has been an artist-in-residence at City of Berkeley (California) Echo Lake Camp, a writing instructor, and a songwriting instructor at The Creative Center in New York City. We …
Seeding Vitality Arts in Museums
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 …
Who Knew? Maura on the Evolution of Lifetime Arts
In 2005, Ed and I bumped into each other as we volunteered on a “creative aging” committee and recognized each other from our NYC arts work, dating back to the ‘80s. We started to talk – and kept on talking about what could/should happen to improve “senior programming”. We didn’t set out to create an …
Are you ageist? Probably.
Lifetime Arts has been fortunate to partner with author and activist, Ashton Applewhite, as we build the capacity of organizations around the country to deliver arts instruction for older adults that is free of bias and ageism. Recently, Ashton was interviewed by KCRW‘s Jonathan Bastian ahead of her appearance at UC Santa Barbara last week …
I’m Still Here: Ed Reflects on 10 Years of Lifetime Arts
A little more than 10 years ago Maura and I sat at her dining room table. This was not a dream. We had in fact started a not-for-profit organization just as the recession was hitting. We got off to a great start though, and feverishly planned our next steps. In the midst of this discussion …
Current Programming Highlights
MEMORIES & MOMENTS: A WORKSHOP ON WRITING MEMOIR India Home Desi Senior Center, Jamaica, NY (Queens) At India Home’s Desi Senior Center in Jamaica Queens, older adults have been learning writing and revision skills utilizing Bengali texts, poems, and proverbs as inspiration. Led by teaching artist Sabbin Akter, older adults have met three times a …
Ed Talks About Older Actors on Stage and Screen
Are we there yet? Glenda Jackson, 82, is currently starring in a universally praised Broadway production of Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women. This is on the heels of her King Lear at the Old Vic in London. (Image: Tristram Kenton for the Observer) Elaine May, 86, comes back to the New York theatre after 50 years …
Teaching Artist of the Month: Sandra Drabant
What is your primary artistic medium? I primarily work with mixed media, paint, collage and drawing. I enjoy painting layered canvases of color and texture because I love the surprises this intuitive process can bring. How did you get started as a teaching artist? I am a formally-trained art teacher, art therapist and artist, so …
Ed Talk: Science Confirms Arts Still Good for You
Told ya! Those of us in the non-profit arts sector are accustomed to constantly arguing for the value of the arts, but making a case for the importance of arts education for older adults is yet another hurdle to overcome. When The Creativity and Aging Study led by Dr. Gene Cohen was published in 2006 …
Lifetime Arts Honored with Community Award
Lifetime Arts is grateful to be among this year’s esteemed group of individuals and organizations whom Arts Westchester is honoring as the “creative heart and soul” of the county. This particular recognition is especially meaningful as we celebrate our 10th anniversary as a Westchester-based nonprofit. Now partnering with and serving organizations across the United States, …
Teaching Artist of the Month: Marjorie Shaefer
What is your primary artistic medium? Storytelling. How did you get started as a teaching artist? Teachers in schools where I taught were asking me to return and teach the students how to turn their social studies events into stories. This led to workshops for the teachers also. What led you to Creative Aging? I …
Teaching Artist of the Month: Mansa Mussa
Mansa Mussa What is your primary artistic medium? My primary artistic medium is visual art. My process encompasses drawing, photography, collage, mask making, mixed media, three dimensional art, and iPadology (abstract photography using the iPad). How did you get started as a teaching artist? I started working as a Teaching Assistant in the Open Writing …
The Tyranny of Fun by Ed Friedman
I am about to commit a blasphemy. Here goes: MAKING ART IS NOT FUN. While I am loathe to encourage the either/or ethos that seemingly pervades every aspect of our lives, there seems to be a disconnect between those who strive to make art, and those for whom it’s of little or only passing interest. …
Grants Awarded to Five Westchester County Agencies
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 …
20 Selected for Catalyzing Creative Aging Program
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 …
New York Community Trust Awards $600K Grant for Creative Aging in NYC
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 …