SAXTONS RIVER, Vt. – The Vermont Arts Council’s Creative Aging Initiative is a statewide effort supporting grants for organizations to offer meaningful arts learning experiences for older Vermonters. Begun in 2021, the initiative addresses some of the challenges facing older adults, such as isolation and ageism, and seeks to improve quality of life, support emotional wellbeing and good health, strengthen social engagement, and provide a sense of community.
According to the council’s website, “more than 9% of Vermonters are at least 65 years of age, and Vermont is on track to be the oldest state in the nation by 2032. Vermont also has one of the highest life expectancy rates at nearly 80 years of age.”
A study on the benefits of arts programs for seniors, conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with The George Washington University, found there to be “strikingly positive differences” between two control groups of older adults, one involved in a weekly art program, and one going about their business as usual. After two years, the group involved in the consistent, participatory art program reported better health, fewer doctor visits, and less medication usage. The participants’ mental health improved, and their involvement in overall activities increased.
Main Street Arts (MSA) in Saxtons River will host a series of Creative Aging classes beginning on Feb. 6, through June 8. Class tuition is free, and MSA will provide all necessary materials, with a nominal registration fee.
Ashley Storrow, MSA program director, is excited that the series came together and has generated a lot of interest. “It’s wonderful,” Storrow exclaimed. “The real goal of course is not the art classes, but to encourage creativity and community building among area seniors, who can be quite isolated.”
A vocal instructor and the diversity, equity, and inclusion director for the Vermont Academy, Storrow also performs and writes songs as half of the acoustic folk duo “The Early Risers.”
Storrow said grant funds allowed MSA to hire experienced teaching artists trained to work with older adults aged 60 and above, and, most importantly, pay them a sustainable wage. A big part of MSA’s mission is to support and maintain a network of working artists.
Support from Senior Solutions in Springfield includes a free community lunch every Tuesday from 12 – 1 p.m. at MSA. All area seniors are invited to attend the community lunches, not just registered students.
Thomas Simmons, nutrition and wellness director for Senior Solutions, commented, “This was a real collaborative effort, not only between MSA and Senior Solutions, but a number of different funders, who really cobbled together a great program.”
The goal was to offer a wide variety of instruction geared toward the needs and interests of area seniors, and last October, MSA hosted an open house, inviting older residents to “stop by to have a chance to talk with the different artists, and express what they were interested in learning.” More than 40 people attended the event. “The courses in the series are the result of what those seniors voiced,” Simmons explained.
An Expressive Arts Exploration class taught by Susan-Marie Beauchemin will assist older adults with processing loss. As an expressive arts therapist, MA, CAGS, Beauchemin has helped at-risk families, survivors of domestic violence, and substance abusers work toward a place of healing and acceptance.
Mosaic and mural artist Susan Rosano will lead a class on making an art journal. Similar to a conventional journal, but created from doodles, sketches, old photos, and magazine clippings, the project encourages creative self-reflection.
Other classes include bookmaking techniques and creating memory boxes with Amber Paris, and a step-by-step class in cyanotype taught by photographer and artist Evie Lovett.
Simmons mentioned an additional class not yet on the schedule. With support from the Vermont Community Foundation, an art class for long-term HIV survivors will be offered, taught by Susan Rosano, where participants will create individual expressive art pieces that will be displayed at the Bellows Falls Pride Festival held in June.
Schedule and information for the class series can be found at the MSA and Senior Solutions websites.