In March 2015, the Arizona Commission on the Arts and the Mesa Arts Center hosted Arizona’s first-ever summit on Creative Aging: Arts Across the Aging Spectrum.

Creative Aging is a national movement aimed at fostering an understanding of the vital relationship between creative expression and healthy aging by exploring the potential of the arts to

  • support older adults with cognitive or physical disabilities,
  • help older adults remain dynamic members of society, and
  • give meaning and purpose to later life.

Through dynamic presentations, facilitated dialogue, and experiential, hands-on learning sessions, national and local presenters will address these topics and more. Summit attendees will also have the opportunity for fruitful networking and resource exchange with colleagues from across the state.

Who should attend: Practitioners and providers, both experienced and new to the field of Creative Aging, including arts organizations, teaching artists and aging or healthcare service providers.

Additional agenda information will be posted as it is confirmed.

Date and Location

Friday, March 13, 2015
10:00am – 4:00pm
Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum at the Mesa Arts Center
http://www.mesaartscenter.com/art-exhibitions-contemporary-art-gallery.html

Click here for directions and parking information.

Registration

Registration for this event is now closed.

Keynote Speakers

Susan_perlsrein_smallSusan Perlstein is the Founder Emeritus for the National Center for Creative Aging in Washington, DC and the  Founder of Elders Share the Arts in New York City.  She is an educator, social worker, administrator and artist.  She has served as a consultant for the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York City Board of Education, and regularly presents on a  national level for organizations, most recently for Generations United, the American Society on Aging, the National Council on Aging, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, and the Society for the Arts and Healthcare. Ms. Perlstein has contributed significantly to the training and educational offerings of American Society on Aging and served on the American Society on Aging Board of Directors. She received the Cavanaugh Award for Excellence in “Creativity and Aging” training and has written extensively on creativity and late-life learning.

MACElizabeth Johnson is a choreographer, dancer, and educator with a focus in socially engaged dance practices. Elizabeth connects communities through choreography, creating dance that promotes civic dialogue, and designing participatory experiences that apply artistic practices in multiple contexts. She has a particular interest in working with youth and elders, developing embodied structures for science learning, and promoting leadership development through the arts. Elizabeth holds a BA in Dance with a minor in Theater from Connecticut College and a MFA from Arizona State University.  She has studied at London Contemporary Dance School, taught and performed internationally, and was the Associate Artistic Director of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange in metro DC for over a decade. For the past five years she worked at Arizona State University as the Coordinator of Socially Engaged Practice, collaborating with an interdisciplinary team to create new curricula focused on training artists to work in, and engage with, diverse communities. She is currently in Chicago and working with Columbia College Chicago and Dance Exchange while doing projects with Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Holy Cross University, Hubbard Street Dance, and Mesa Arts Center.