What age do you have to be to start creating amazing works of art?
Can someone who never created an art piece before become an artist later in life? At what age do you stop producing truly inspiring pieces?
Since 1981, not-for-profit PMMA’s (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America) Art is Ageless® program has been recognizing the creativity of seniors through an art competition and calendar. The program has expanded to include arts programming, educational opportunities and attendance at cultural events throughout Kansas and Missouri, where PMMA’s 16 communities are located.
The first Art is Ageless calendar in 1981 featured resident art. In 2006, the competition was expanded to include area artists age 65 and older as well. The 2021 Art is Ageless calendar will celebrate 40 years of the program.
Presbyterian Manor resident turns arrowheads into …
Presbyterian Manor resident turns arrowheads into art objects
When he was a boy growing up in western Kansas, Noah Welsch’s father took him pheasant hunting. On their forays around the countryside, the father-and ...
Artist sees similarities between painting, …
Artist sees similarities between painting, surgery
Perry Hunsley never intended to become an artist. “Art was probably the furthest thing from my mind as I was growing up and going to school,” said ...
For Betty Eller, home is where …
For Betty Eller, home is where the art is
Betty works in her studio at home with Bobo the cat. A little over a year ago, Betty Eller and her husband, Marvin, decided it was time to downsiz ...
Bill Walter never tires of his …
Bill Walter never tires of his friend, ‘O Weary Tree’
Bill Walter recalls his longtime friend, O Weary Tree, in photo and poetry. On a trip out to southeastern Colorado, on a dusty road miles from La ...
The creative process increases self-esteem, reduces depression, improves memory, promotes critical thinking, encourages playfulness, provides a sense of control, nurtures spirituality, and builds friendships between residents and people outside their generation.
In 2006, a study by George Washington University on behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts, found that the arts have a positive effect on health and illness as we age. Current studies in art therapy, music therapy and other creative pursuits confirm that art can affect individuals in positive ways, whether they are creating art or enjoying the works of another.
Encouraging older adults to take up the arts and express themselves is a natural fit for PMMA’s philosophy of empowering older adults to live the way they want to live.
Through the Art is Ageless program, residents and friends of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America are proving that art, in any form, is an ageless ambition.