(INDIANAPOLIS) The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC), in partnership with Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) Division of Aging, is bringing arts and creative activities to older adults around the state through Lifelong Arts Indiana.
Lifelong Arts Indiana is a learning opportunity for aging services providers and artists to develop their skills in providing creative experiences for older adults. The program equips participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide impactful creative experiences for older adults, ages sixty-five and older, and provides access to the funds to help make it happen. Â Â
The FSSA Division of Aging is partnering to provide $925,000 over two years to support training and funding for creative activities for older adults. Participation in activities that foster creative engagement and skills mastery in a social environment has positive psychological, physical, and emotional health benefits for older adults. Read the full research on the National Endowment for the Arts website.
Lifelong Arts Indiana has multiple tracks – one for experienced teaching artists, one for artists interested in beginning this work, and a third for aging services providers.   Â
16 members of the Lifelong Arts 2021 Artist Training Cohort, who received training and completed fellowships serving older adults in 2021 and 2022, are furthering their work in creative aging with fellowships of $3,500.
47 Indiana artists have been accepted into the Lifelong Arts 2023 Artist Training Cohort. Over a three-day training, members of the cohort will learn and explore best practices and strategies for developing an effective, sequential, arts learning experience for older adults. After completion of the training, artists will have the opportunity to apply for up to $1,500 to put their lessons into action by hosting a sequential arts learning experience for older adults in a Hoosier community.
In addition to the artist training and fellowship-funded sequential arts learning experiences taking place around the state, aging services providers also have the opportunity to receive training and funding. More than 50 aging services providers attended trainings in Fort Wayne and Bloomington earlier this year. A third training opportunity is taking place on November 14th in Gary, Indiana. Sign up to attend the training.   Â
Following the trainings, aging services providers are eligible to apply for up to $5,000 for a project that provides a sequential arts-learning experience for a group of older adults in their community and takes place in the twelve months following their funding approval. The first aging services provider to be approved for funding is LifeStream Services in Delaware County.
Over the coming months, LifeStream Services will lead the project “Through the Eyes of Caregivers.†This project will lead caregivers on a journey of self-exploration through the arts. Throughout this project, participants (who are currently caregivers) will explore their feelings towards their caregiving journey, what it means to care for themselves while caring for someone else, and how they view themselves in the world. Led by artist Olivia Willard, participants will create a self-portrait in watercolor that will be displayed at a LifeStream event in November celebrating National Family Caregivers Month.
“Arts and creativity make our state stronger for all – including our older adults,†said Miah Michaelsen, Executive Director of the Indiana Arts Commission. “We are so grateful for the partnership of the FSSA Division of Aging in supporting this investment in creative activity for older adults which research shows reduces social isolation, improves health outcomes, and enriches the lives of Hoosiers.â€
