A Creative Outlook for Older Adults
ArtsQuest provides important programs for keeping senior populations active and vibrant members of the community throughout the Lehigh Valley.
Feb. 6, 2024, Bethlehem, PA – ArtsQuest’s Visual Arts and Education programs offer classes of various topics and themes for all ages. The Creative Aging Program, an important initiative, focuses on serving senior populations in the community through art and creativity. In partnership with various organizations like Casa Guadalupe, this program will include intergenerational activities at community centers, senior centers, assisted living, adult day care, art institutions and libraries.
There is a roster of Teaching Artists who specialize in working with older adults. ArtsQuest offers Creative Aging programs throughout the year for many community partners such as Phoebe Ministries which previously ran January 2023 – December 2023 and Casa Guadalupe from November 2023 – January 2024.
The purpose of Creative Aging is to help older adults get involved and remain active in their communities. Art programs help older people to feel a part and wanted in society. The goal for this program is to provide accessible and high-quality arts programs that meet the needs of an aging population. ArtsQuest is also aiming to create and foster new relationships with additional community partners. The hope for the Creative Aging program is that it will be developed into a program model that can be used at various locations throughout the Lehigh Valley.
Participants will learn and create using visual arts and music. Examples of projects include symmetry drawings, clay sculpture, and mural-making. The Creative Aging Program will take place at multiple different locations: the YWMCA Adult Day Center, The Rooney Building in South Bethlehem, Moravian Village, and Casa Guadalupe.
While this program is not open to the public it is open to older adults who are in a rehabilitation facility or living with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, dementia and other diseases with cognitive and physical impacts. “Our Creative Aging program allows us to serve our older adults population through art-enrichment,” said Joanne Garcia, Education Coordinator/AIE-PA Council on the Arts Program Coordinator. “Whether we go to them or host classes at the Banana Factory, we make it accessible for them to enjoy the arts. We continue to find ways to expand our program through collaborations with UWGLV Age-Friendly initiative, LUAG, Casa Guadalupe and others.”
Anyone Interested in learning more about how to bring a Creative Aging program to their organization should reach out to Lisa Harms at lharms@artsquest.org or Joanne Garcia at jgarcia@artsquest.org.
About ArtsQuest
ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest™ supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the Banana Factory Arts Center; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization’s programs and events, over 50 percent of which are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region. ArtsQuest is a proud member of NIVA, the National Independent Venue Association and NATO, the National Association of Theatre Owners.
