Capture Your Creativity!
"If not now....when?"
Want to get involved in the arts, but don't know where to start? Maybe you haven't played in instrument in 30 years, or perhaps you have never picked up a paint brush. Either way, this page will provide resources to help you find arts programs in your community, as well as provide some best practices to show you what kind of programs are out there.
Quick Tips to Spark your Creativity!
Do you want to be creative but don't know where to begin?
- Try checking out your local Arts Council or Arts Agency. For a state list visit the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies or your government website which often links to your local arts council.
- Check out the community centers, community colleges and universities in your area who have classes just for adults from photography to computers.
Find a Program
The following is a list of organizations that connects you with creative opportunities in the arts in your community:
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ArtAge celebrates older performers, connecting you with leading edge companies, professionals and the plays and books that make them successful.
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Founded in 1937, the National Guild is the sole national service organization for community arts education providers with a member network of over 400 organizations.
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The OLLI at the University of Southern Maine (USM) serves as the national center for the current network of 122 lifelong learning institutes throughout the nation. Each Osher Institute reflects the culture of its own university and its learning community.
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Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. It is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in all forms of the arts.
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New Horizons Music
New Horizons Music Programs provide an entry point to music making for adults, including those with no musical experience at all and those who were active in school music programs but have been inactive for a long time. Many adults would like an opportunity to learn music in a group setting similar to that offered in schools, but the last entry point in most cases was elementary school. New Horizons has over 100 bands throughout the country and Canada as well as music camps around the US. Find one near you!
Best Practice Programs
The following are a few best practices focused on the three NCCA initiatives that showcase the amazing things adults can do through creative activities. All of these organizations stress the importance of high-quality arts programming for their participants. For more resources visit the National Endowment for the Arts - Arts in Aging Resource Guide.
Lifelong Learning
Encore Chorale
Encore is dedicated to providing an excellent and accessible artistic environment for older adults, 55 and older, regardless of experience or ability, who seek arts education and performance opportunities under a professional artists. Encore has 10 chorales, two Encore Singers programs in Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington. The Laurel Lake Encore Chorale in Ohio and the Indiana Encore Chorale in Pennsylvania joined as the first National Affiliate Organizations in 2009.
Burbank Senior Artists Colony
A first-of-its-kind 141-unit senior apartment community, The Burbank Senior Artists Colony features a theater group, independent film company, fine arts collective, intergenerational arts programs with the BUSD and a myriad of activities for artists in their second 50 years of creativity. Activities include: Arts studios & Classrooms, computer media arts center, digital film making equipment and editing bay, performance areas, art gallery & sculpture garden.
New Horizons Band
The New Horizons Band of Madison is affiliated with the New Horizons International Music Association. The program was developed by Dr. Roy Ernst of the Eastman School of Music to provide entry points to music-making for adults, including those with no musical experience at all and those who were active in school music programs but have been inactive for a long period. There are more than 100 New Horizons Bands throughout the U.S. and Canada, from Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Spokane, Washington.
Health & Wellness
Kairos Dance Theater
Kairos' mission is to share the joy of dance and unleash its power to nurture and heal. They believe there are many ways of dancing, and that each person has his or her own dance to share and story to tell. Kairos uses dance and storytelling to create a sense of community and well-being in participants of all ages and walks of life with dancers from age 7-98 years-old. Kairos has created an award winning programs, "The Dancing Heart," which vitally engages frail elders, including those with mid-to-late stage Alzheimer's.
The MoMA Alzheimer's Project
The MoMA Alzheimer's Project is the nationwide expansion of MoMA's art and dementia programs, including Meet Met at MoMA, the Museum's outreach program for individuals living with Alzheimer's Disease and their caregivers. Funded by MetLife Foundation, the project broadens the reach of these programs through the development of resources that can be used by museums, assisted-living facilities, and other community organizations serving people with dementia and their caregivers.
Timeslips Storytelling Project
The TimeSlips creative storytelling method opens storytelling to everyone by replacing the pressure to remember with encouragement to imagine. The project aims to inspire people with dementia to hone and share the gifts of their imaginations; inspire others to see beyond the loss and to recognize the strength of people with dementia; and to improve the quality of life of people with dementia and those who care for them.
StoryCorps Memory Loss Initiative
In 2006 StoryCorps launched an initiative to reach out to people affected by memory loss. Their aim is to support and encourage people with memory loss to share their stories. The project is guided by an Advisory Board of nationally recognized leaders in the field of memory loss, and all interviews are facilitated by the specially trained staff.
Civic Engagement
Center for Elders and Youth in the Arts
The Institute on Aging's Center for Elders and Youth in the Arts (CEYA) provides specialized visual and performing arts programming tailored to the Bay Area older adult population. Many Projects are done in collaboration with youth and youth organizations. Through creative expression, CEYA helps elders remain connected to the community with the goal of helping them experience improved physical and emotional well-being.
Stagebridge Senior Theater
Stagebirdge is the nation's oldest Senior Theater Company. Based in Oakland, CA, Stagebridge uses theater and storytelling to bridge the generation gap by breaking down stereotypes and stimulating more positive attitudes toward aging. Stagebridge's intergenerational programs feature senior theater productions, storytelling in the schools, nurses training programs, acting classes for seniors, and writing contests for children.
Kenneth A. Picerne Foundation
The Kenneth A. Picerne Foundation's Artist Outreach Project, which provides support to senior artists who give back to their communities through educational and therapeutic services in community nonprofit agencies serving children, youth and the elderly.