Creative Aging Foundations On Demand

How old do YOU feel? Taking time to gain a solid understanding of the creative aging field, the creative aging arts education program model, and to hear what people of all generations think about aging, motivation, and ability will set you up for success. Thinking differently about older people will “future proof” your offerings and open up new funding streams. We invite you to start here.

Being responsive to your community is the only way to plan and deliver creative aging programming well. Before you select an artform, figure out what your facility can support, who your local partners might be, and most importantly, what it is that older adults in your world WANT to learn. 

When teaching artmaking to older adults, there are some key things to keep in mind, but they might not be the things that you think. True, some adjustments may need to be made to accommodate a variety of abilities, but that is true in any classroom setting. Older adults are “serious” about learning, and also very quick to connect and have fun. Many of these topics are aimed at teaching artists, but it is critical and helpful for programmers and leaders to have a basic understanding of what they are hiring teaching artists to execute.

Any excellent program requires cross-departmental coordination (or a serious amount of time for a programmer working on their own), and creative aging programming is no different. That said, it doesn’t have to be difficult, and we have laid out the steps and best practices for you here to eliminate guesswork and ensure a smooth process for all.

We sat down with co-founder/CEO, Maura O’Malley, to capture insights, lessons learned, recommendations, and strategies that have worked for her in her career in arts education, and specifically, the creative aging work she has done since 2008 with Lifetime Arts. Watch these 4 short, informative vignettes to understand how to integrate creative aging into your organizational mission and long-term fundraising strategies.

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a revolution in program delivery for older adults. With so many organizations working diligently to ensure that older isolated people have access to meaningful, purposeful social programming, both programmers and older adults realized that this was a viable option for continued engagement. This section will spell-out best practices in remote program delivery, which will be useful indefinitely as your organization succeeds in reaching people who were challenged by transportation and those beyond the borders of your local area.