From the abstract:
This study uses neuroscientific methods to examine whether there are cognitive differences between performing arts and non-performing arts students and among students studying different performing arts, in particular between music students and theater students.
From the article:
You missed your chance to be a prodigy, but there’s still growth left for grownups. The joys—and occasional embarrassments—of being a novice could be an antidote to the strain of being a perfectionist.””
A look at “Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning” by Tom Vanderbilt.
From the article:
This question has attracted scientific research for more than a century. In fact, the first empirical study of this issue was published in 1835. Thus, I can offer a confident answer: not quite! At least not if creativity is assessed by productivity or by making original and valuable contributions to fields such as science and art.
Although the mention of aging and old age all too often conjures notions of rigidity, decline, and invisibility, the very act of acting, of taking on a new role, can challenge and expand popular conceptions of later life. The first study of its kind, The Stages of Age looks at the aging actor and at aging as acting in a wide array of American performances that interrupt, transform, and underscore stereotypes of old age. Anne Davis Basting argues that advancing age is an essential category that should not be overlooked in discussions of identity and difference.
Lifetime Arts Roster Teaching Artist, Greacian Goeke, has taught her signature class, “Free to Move: Expressive Movement & Rhythm for Brain & Body Health,” at the Albany Senior Center outside of Oakland, CA for the last 10 years. The class is an opportunity to, “…interact and explore the expressive language of movement, sharpening both physical and mental agility.”
Greacian and her students were devastated when COVID-19 forced the Albany Senior Center to shut down. However, she immediately reached out to her students to propose continuing online via Zoom.
After intentional efforts to understand the diverse needs, perspectives and experiences of older adults, MOCA Tucson developed creative aging workshop series that pushed boundaries, took risks and combat antiquated and ageist ideas of what older adults want to learn and how they want to express themselves.
After conducting community assessments and connecting with local artists, The Louisiana State Museum (LSM) team designed a creative aging workshop series representative of the interests and cultures of the people they sought to serve.
The Museum re-considered offering a conventional visual arts program, and instead developed a skill-building beadwork program which resonated deeply with existing and prospective patrons. Their workshop also highlighted selected objects from the Museum’s Cabildo collection and showcased relevant exhibits.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has a long history of offering art-making classes for all ages, and the museum staff has witnessed the transformative power of the creative process.
LACMA used an intentional process to actively integrate their creative aging programming into the overall mission of the museum. By designing a studio class with goals specific to an older audience, LACMA recognized an opportunity to increase its value as a resource for adults to build confidence, self-worth, and community.
The Museum developed evaluation tools across the course of the program to measure artistic, social, and emotional outcomes. The whole staff worked together to develop language about why this program was important and why it would serve older adults, in order to successfully incorporate it into their list of services, and ensure its sustainability. The organization integrated the assessments and program evaluation into the everyday practice of the program on an ongoing basis. The resulting collection of quantitative and qualitative data adds scope and breadth to their evaluation over time and allows comparison from year to year for annual progress to sustain the program model.
Create+Collaborate was supported by Aroha Philanthropies.
Gloria King and Jarahn Cosby perform, “Acting Out!,” at “Advancing Creative Aging in NYC,” a convening held on February 7, 2020 at the Ford Foundation in New York to celebrate and share the findings from the New York City Creative Aging Initiative, a project of Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging at Hunter College, Lifetime Arts, and LiveOn NY, funded by The New York Community Trust.
Writer and Director: Julie Kline
Teaching Artist Sound Artist: Liza Zapol Music
Composition: Nelson Downend
This performance was created through Roots&Branches Theater and the Stanley Isaacs Senior Center.
To position themselves as a place intended for all ages, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art developed a creative aging program series, “Create with The Carle!” These programs offered adults the opportunity to learn new artmaking skills while using the museum’s collection as inspiration. To better accommodate older adult learners, the museum conducted several assessments to determine their facilities’ ability to serve older adults. The process also helped them identify nearby senior service organizations partners.