In this roundtable discussion, Lifetime Arts invited Diantha Dow Schull, Julie Kline, Education Designer and Trainer and theatre teaching artist, and Ed Friedman, Lifetime Arts’ former Co-Founder/Executive Director, to discuss the benefits of creative aging programs in the theater arts.
Through their research, knowledge, expertise, and personal experience in older adult theater programming, they share how this modality supports skill-building, creative expression, and social engagement in older adults.
*The photo showcased in the interview features two participants, Gloria King (seated) and Jarahn Cosby, performing at an event in NYC as part of Julie Kline’s intergenerational theatre program, “ACTING OUT!” offered through a partnership between the Roots & Branches Theatre Company and the Stanley Isaacs Senior Center.
Lifetime Arts has stayed true to our mission and expanded our impact in our field in each of the years since our founding in 2008, and 2021 was no exception. This past year, we added 20 new state arts agency partners, and continued work with national, state, and municipal partners, such as the American Alliance of Museums, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, and the National Guild for Community Arts Education. We delivered hundreds of training hours to more than 800 people across the U.S., and coached 42 partner organizations in 26 states and territories to successfully deliver 116 creative aging programs. We did all of this through the continued, generous support of Aroha Philanthropies, New York State Council on the Arts and Office for the Aging, The May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust, The New York Community Trust, and The Wyoming Community Foundation. This video has been edited and produced by Jacqueline DuMont, Digital Media Producer.
Organizational description provided by CADA:
We’re CADA, England’s Creative Ageing Development Agency, we believe that we all have a right to create and take an active part in creativity and cultural life at any age. We are working to lead a fundamental rethink and reflection on ageing and creativity, challenging ageism in the arts and heritage sectors, and society more widely. Society is richer when all older people are visible and valued; when communities come together to share arts, culture, and heritage through the lens of age and experience, and when there are opportunities for everyone to emerge, or re-emerge, as a creative talent in later life. We want to celebrate and champion the cultural contribution of older people, and harness that collective energy to support change. CADA is funded by the Baring Foundation, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Arts Council England and hosted by Manchester Museum.
SilverKite Community Arts uses the arts as a tool to promote creative engagement in all stages of life, bridge generations, and work towards eliminating the effects of loneliness. Through our innovative, award-winning programs and services we strive to promote joy, build relationships, and strengthen communities – one connection at a time.
SilverKite received the Intergenerational Innovation Award from Generations United at its biennial global conference (2019).
Created by the Research Center for Arts and Culture (RCAC) at The Actors Fund (AF), The Performing Arts Legacy Project is an online platform to document and represent the work of older professional artists in the U.S. and save our national legacy. This platform is the first known dedicated place to allow artists to present their lifetime careers holistically and under their control.
While The Performing Arts Legacy Project is a tool targeted to older professionals, it can also be used for professionals all along the spectrum of their careers to document their work as it evolves.
From Creative Aging Network – NC’s Facebook page:
Located in Greensboro, the Creative Aging Network – NC (CAN-NC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to creative programming for older adults throughout the state. Artists work in the community with existing aging service providers to implement creative classes such as painting, dancing, singing, poetry, writing and storytelling. When implemented with staff support and participation, creative programs enhance the person-centered care concept and honor the voices of elders as well as those working closest with them.
CAN-NC also partners with universities to conduct research on originally designed programs. Through this collaborative work we can better meet our goal of improving the quality of life of older people through the creative arts.
‘Arts and Minds is dedicated to helping people living with mental challenges through the arts. They offer arts courses throughout Cambridgeshire. Arts and Minds have continued to offer creative workshops during COVID-19, including “Virtual Creative Cafe,” an 8-week program of online creative activities, and “Creative Care: Invitation to Create,” where artists share invitations each week for older adults to explore the spaces they are in new ways using only the simplest of materials and everyday objects.’
