NEW #mcreds course: Creative Aging Provider Training

Building Artistic Communities that Support Older Adults 

with Creative Aging Provider Training by Lifetime Arts

 A baby born today is likely to live 100 years.  The life expectancy today is 79 years of age for men and 81 years of age for women.  In 1900, life expectancy was only 45 years of age.  Our general population has gained nearly 35 years of life because of better education, health and living environments globally.  This life expectancy is steadily growing.  A whole new stage of life is being developed in later life.  Retirement is becoming a time for encore activities.  Thus, older people who did not have the opportunity to participate in arts engagement, which is the majority, now have time for lifelong learning in the arts.  

This current generation of older adults (“boomers”) have been called the most educated and wealthiest in the history of our society.  They are streaming into arts classes, museums, theaters, performing arts spaces not only as audiences but as participants.  However, there is still great disparity in access to arts engagement for older populations who are trapped in poverty and limiting health conditions.  

How can arts educators and community teaching artists attract this new population sector and overcome disparities in arts engagement? This question is addressed by the Fine Arts Office of the Maryland State Department of Education’s newest Maryland Micro-Credential for Creative Classrooms (#mcreds) course, Creative Aging Provider. The three-day course is presented in partnership with national partner, Lifetime Arts.

Participants will broaden their understanding of the older adult community and explore the best practices to offer creative classrooms that oppose ageism, explore the Creative Process, and uniquely support older adults. The course kicks off on November 16.

#mcreds are the suite of competency-based professional learning courses for Arts Educators and Teaching Artists. Participants personalize their professional learning by selecting topics based on their own needs and interests. Successful completion results in a Maryland Micro-Credential and one (1) MSDE Continuing Professional Development credit. All courses are presented free of cost to Maryland residents and Maryland educators due to the generous support of the Maryland State Arts Council.

For more information, visit mcreds.org.

About Lifetime Arts

Lifetime Arts connects the people, funding, ideas and strategies necessary to increase the number and quality of professional arts programs for older adults. By helping to develop policy, sharing best practices and providing expert technical assistance in the design, funding and implementation of creative aging programs, we help organizations and individuals build livable communities for all ages. lifetimearts.org