Arts & Creative Aging Across America

When an old person dies, it’s like a library goes up in flames.

—Unknown

Susan Perlstein's Arts and Creative Aging Across America may have been written eight years ago, but Susan's insights are still powerful today.  Susan Perlstein founded Elders Share the Arts (ESTA) in 1979 in New York City. In this article, Susan shares that it was in 1998 that the National Endowment for the Arts spurred her to put together a national organization dedicated to fostering an understanding of the vital relationship between creative expression and the quality of life of older people.  This became the National Center for Creative Aging.

If you want to hear more from Susan, go to Growing Bolder and listen to a short audio clip.  Thanks to the Community Arts Network  you can also read Generating Community Intergenerative Partnerships Through the Expressive Arts, the first chapter of a book Susan co-authored  in 1994.  Note: This is no longer available to read on Community Arts Network.

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Photo by just.Luc