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.
The Therapeutic Power of Making …
The Therapeutic Power of Making Art
Artwork by Nancy Monson By Nancy Monson for Next Avenue Like most Americans, I’ve been feeling empty, numb, shell-shocked and dumbfounded by th ...
Local senior artist creates landscapes, …
Local senior artist creates landscapes, portraits
Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Topeka Presbyterian Manor did not hold its Art is Ageless® competition this year. We still received some wonderful submi ...
How the Arts Can Ease Grief …
How the Arts Can Ease Grief After Loss
By Patricia Corrigan for Next Avenue How we process grief and loss is highly personal. Some retreat from the world for a while. Some throw them ...
Parsons Presbyterian Manor announces Art is …
Parsons Presbyterian Manor announces Art is Ageless® winners
Painting (amateur): Jane Parish, “French Corner Café” Earlier this year, Parsons Presbyterian Manor announced the winning artists in the annual Ar ...
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.