Arizona: Creative Aging Initiative

Community steel drum workshop; photo courtesy of Musical Instrument Museum

A growing body of research demonstrates that the benefits of arts participation as we age are substantial. Research shows, for example, that older adults who engage in the arts experience improved health outcomes, strengthened social bonds and enhanced emotional well-being. State arts agencies contribute to these benefits through facilitating creative aging programming, which supports a higher quality of life and healthier living for older adults.

The Arizona Commission on the Arts, through its AZ Creative Aging initiative, illustrates the powerful role state arts agencies can play in fostering healthy aging. Supported by NASAA in partnership with E.A. Michelson Philanthropy, AZ Creative Aging provides training to teaching artists, arts organizations and aging/health care service providers, supports the development of high-quality arts programs for older adults, and embeds creative aging knowledge and best practices in the community through its varied programming. Previous program components have included:

cohort programs for arts organizations with a committed interest in better serving Arizona’s older adults in rural communities
incubator programs to equip arts organizations with new frameworks and ideas for developing, expanding or deepening creative aging partnerships and initiatives
training programs for teaching artists to equip them with the specialized knowledge needed to work successfully with older adults.

This year, the Arizona Commission on the Arts is offering a Lifelong Arts Engagement Grant to support projects that foster meaningful arts learning experiences for adult learners of any age and/or intergenerational projects in community settings. Projects will feature sequential, hands-on learning through the arts to develop artistic skills, processes and creativity. Organizations can request $2,500 to $5,000 with no match requirement, and applications are reviewed by an independent panel of arts learning specialists from communities throughout the state.

Moreover, the Arizona Commission on the Arts recently held the 2025 Creative Aging Convening, a professional development gathering that showcased the innovative work taking place across southern Arizona’s creative aging sector by local practitioners, including teaching artists, arts organizations, and the health and aging field. Session topics included intergenerational creative aging programs, tailoring creative aging programs to specific populations, a workshop exploring the idea of legacy and a panel featuring the Southern Arizona Creative Aging Cohort.

To find out more about state arts agency creative aging programs, contact NASAA.