Creative Aging

Overview

COA develops and trains teaching artists to work with older adults in sequential learning programs. We also serve as a point of connection for entities seeking teaching artists for Creative Aging program activities. COA is continually working in partnership with other state agencies, funders, and service providers to expand arts learning opportunities for older adults.

Please complete this brief form if you want to teach or provide a creative aging program.

You can also sign up for our e-newsletter to get COA updates and announcements in your inbox.

Advancing Creative Aging in Connecticut

(Current Initiative)

Lifetime Arts, the CT Office of the Arts (COA), and the CT State Library are partnering to advance arts education programs for older adults in Connecticut public libraries

Through our current initiative, Lifetime Arts will provide training for selected libraries in how to develop successful creative aging programs. The training includes access to new online resources, including Creative Aging Foundations On Demand. Lifetime Arts will also oversee the implementation, documentation, and dissemination of 10 creative aging program in CT libraries in collaboration with COA and the CT State Library. Additionally, 10 established creative aging teaching artists will be matched with participating libraries and COA will seek out and train 10 new emerging teaching artists.

Project Overview
  • The project will include a total of 10 Connecticut public libraries and a total of 10 established teaching artists (mentors) and 10 emerging teaching artists (mentees).
  • Teaching Artists previously trained in Creative Aging through COA or Lifetime Arts program and/or Teaching Artists with extensive experience working with sequential learning and with older adults populations will be matched up with participating public libraries.
  • Through an open call for Emerging Teaching Artists, approximately 10 artists with limited past experience working in the field of Creative Aging and working as a teaching artist will be selected and paired up with mentor teaching artists. 

As part of this pilot project, established teaching artists will be paired with libraries to implement a Creative Aging course with the following in mind:

  • Approx. $2,500 has been allocated for each program (established teaching artist fee and supplies)
  • Minimum of 8 sessions, plus a culminating event
  • Sessions are a minimum of 90 minutes long
  • Program serves at least 10 participants, 55+ year old
  • An emerging teaching artist (mentee) will be assigned to shadow the course and may provide additional teaching support.

Each established teaching artist paired with a library will also:

  • Develop a curriculum and materials list (must be submitted as least 1 month prior to the workshop start date)
  • Receive written feedback on curriculum design
  • Participate in curriculum coaching session with Lifetime Arts staff and library programmer
  • Communicate back to the library about attendance
  • Provide materials to support marketing efforts (images, descriptions)
  • Plan out material and classroom needs with the library

Curriculum

  • Curriculum template must be submitted for review
  • Develop goals for the program, skills learned, and session activities
  • Each session's outline should describe what the participants will be learning and doing, how that learning scaffolds, as well as how the instructor will be providing meaningful social engagement for each day.

Key Terms

  • Sequential Skillbuilding: Developing in-depth learning of an art form by sequentially building skills over time, and having the opportunity to practice the art of becoming better at it.
  • Intentional Social Engagement: Fostering community building between participants, in connection with the artmaking and learning experience
  • Culminating Event: Showcasees the work of the participants to friends, family, wider community. Specific to the artform being learned (performance, gallery show, reading, etc.).

Emerging Teaching Artist

  • Receive a training stipend of $1,000
  • Learn more about the application process HERE.
  • Application Deadline: September 6, 2023

Project Timeline

  • Teaching Artist Matching:  August 2023
    • Based upon community assessments, libraries will be matched with teaching artists through the CT Office of the Arts.
  • Coaching and Program Planning for participating libraries: June - August, 2023
    • Lifetime Arts will provide consultation to the selected libraries and teaching artists to provide individual guidance. In collaboration with teaching artists, a program plan will be developed and sent to Lifetime Arts for review, including a curriculum outline and budget.
  • Program Delivery: September 15 - December 15, 2023
    • Programs implemented during this time
Program History / Past Initiatives

READI to Age, an initiative of COA to expand Creative Aging training opportunities for teaching artists to work with older adult populations. As part of a grant awarded through the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) and supported by the E.A. Michelson Philanthropy, COA conducted a total of three (3) creative aging residencies in senior apartment facilities that includes training two (2) teaching artists in vital involvement strategies and utilizing best practices as recommended by NASAA and Lifetime Arts. Aligned with our READI framework, our focus is on developing opportunities for populations that lack access to quality arts learning experiences and to develop a cadre of teaching artists who are interested in and able to connect to these populations and deliver thoughtful and sequential arts experiences.