Creative Aging with Art

A 100 year old woman is given some supplies and general directions. She creates art that brings forth a cherished memory of picking mushrooms with her grandmother in Poland.

As a lesson on overcoming limitations, a group of older adults take a page from bed-bound Henri Matisse, who satisfied his drive to create by using a six-foot bamboo rod with charcoal in the tip to draw on his walls. The older people come up with an idea, pick up their bamboo rods, and get to work. Some have poor eyesight and others have limited mobility, but Matisse's example shows that there are few limitations on creativity.

Funded by grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, there are teaching artists like Cheryl Kugler challenging older adults to express memories, make social connections, and reveal their unique experiences in art. Creating art in the later years of life is meditative and reduces stress while maintaining fine motor skills. Pushing through occasional frustrations in the process, the older adults develop a sense of self-empowerment and accomplishment.

In this episode, Cheryl Kugler paints a picture of the value of artistic expression for aging people.

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