Seniors Making Art

ISSUE AREA: PEOPLE

City: Seattle, WA
Art - Aging - Social Development

Contact:
Caryn Roth
Program Director
16040 Christensen Road, Suite 316
Seattle, WA 98188
(206) 433-6900 x.308
croth@seniorsmakingart.org

Date Published: September 2006

Seniors Making Art is a craft training course directed at providing older individuals with the self- empowerment opportunities of creating works of art. The program was founded in 1991 by Dale Chihuly who took inspiration from his mother to create an initiative to enhance the lives of other adults through learning art. The programs were designed to give participants the confidence to get started and to encourage them to tell their personal stories through artistic expression.

The Seniors Making Art program is an 8 or 10 week course designed to present elderly individuals with training in a number of different artistic mediums. The programs and supplies are provided free of charge to all seniors in the class. Art classes have been taught in assisted living communities, senior centers, art museums, and community centers to name a few. Though many programs are provided to communities free of charge, they are also purchased by organizations. The programs are characterized by the instruction of local artists who bring knowledge of the area with professional experience of artistic expression. Programs are designed not only to train elderly individuals in artistic methods, but also to give them a social outlet to meet and work with others in their community. Seniors Making Art receives the majority of its funding from fundraising, private donations, and the sale of its programs to organizations.

In 2005, the organization underwrote the education of 28 artists. Additionally, it currently provides 93 programs (678 classes) of high quality art instruction. The program has expanded from 3 to 205 programs since its inception. Seniors praise it as an affordable and convenient way to increase both their creativity and wellness. Ruth Matthews, a student of Senior Making Art classes, depicts the overall impact of the classes, " Most rewarding were the friendships, pulsing creativity, and the knowledge that indeed art, sharing, and healing are inevitably entwined."

Resources:

www.seniorsmakingart.org

Additional Contact:

Julielyn Lakey
Executive Director
16040 Christensen Road, #316
Seattle, WA 98188
(206) 433-6900 x. 306
contact@seniorsmakingart.org