New Art Class for Older Adults Inspires Creativity

CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions has received a grant of $5,000 from the Indiana Arts Commission to provide creative arts experiences for older adults.

To address the creative needs of Hoosiers at all stages of life, support aging service providers, and help grow the career portfolios of Indiana artists, the Indiana Arts Commission started Lifelong Arts Indiana for Aging Services Providers, a new initiative geared towards developing our creative workforce in service to our older Hoosiers.

Kicking off this month at CAFÉ, CICOA is offering “My Story: Drawing from Collage,” a ten-session art curriculum wherein participants will create collage works that express their individual and unique ideas, stories, memories, and perspectives. These collages will serve as a reference for the creation of drawings.

The class is led by Nick Christie, an Indianapolis resident with experience working with the older populations CICOA serves.

Christie obtained his BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Drawing in 2015 from the University of Saint Francis (USF) in Fort Wayne, IN. Christie has produced artworks, primarily in drawing and painting, for local bands’ posters, album covers, and promotional material, including his own bands: Carmichael and Starlite Lounge.

Christie began working with the older adult population when he began his career at CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions in 2017. For the past year, Christie has been in conversation with CICOA’s Wrinkle Innovation team in efforts to pilot some art programming for the older adult population in Central Indiana. Christie attended Indiana Arts Commission’s Virtual Conversation on Creative Aging in May 2022 and Indiana Arts Commission’s Creative Aging Training for Aging Services Providers in Bloomington, IN in June 2023.

Nick Christie’s art education, teaching experience, work with older adults, and prior interest in developing creative aging programming for CICOA’s older population provides a merger of interests and skills that make Christie an excellent fit for our community of older adults.

This activity is made possible in part by the Indiana Arts Commission, which receives support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Indiana Family and Social Services Administrations Division of Aging.

About Lifelong Arts for Aging Services Providers

Lifelong Arts Indiana is a statewide program that supports aging services professionals across Indiana in developing their skills for providing creative arts experiences for older adults. Understanding the impact the arts have on quality of life and general wellness, Lifelong Arts Indiana trains providers how to enhance their services, by including creative arts experiences.