“The Importance of Being Wilde”: Experiencing the play (and benefits) of the arts in later life

Pamela Brett-MacLean, PhD
Krista Charbonneau, MA

“When I did a public reading many years ago of ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’ by Dylan Thomas, I felt a thrill, a quickening, a fluttering in my heart that was really quite magnificent. It took my breath away.”
These are among the first words that Julian shared with us, during our initial meeting with a group of residents living in a retirement home in Vancouver. Julian had a remarkable sideways lean to his gait, which only added to his theatrical presence, inspired – I imagined – by a lifelong love of theatre and performance. Seven core members made up the theatre group, aged from 75 to over 90 years of age. All were committed to enjoying the pleasures of reading plays. We were working on graduate degrees (interdisciplinary studies - PBM, and theatre studies - KC) and shared an interest in the positive contributions of the arts engagement in later life. Responding to the participants’ stated preference for engaging with theatre, we developed a structured, historical approach to learning about and reading comedies which we called “Laughing Across the Ages.” 

An Interview with Jack Coggins, Mouth Painter

(with Jeff Natchigall, interviewer)

WILL YOU CONTINUE PAINTING?

Well, the Irish are nothing if they’re not obsessive. Once we latch on to something we explore it passionately for as long as it takes until we know the medium... like poetry it’s very elusive… it’s got a rhythm and an excitement to it, that I find very passionate.

I’ve explored music. I’ve explored the physical aspect of my being with tai chi… concentrating on your surroundings and emptying your mind. I also practice Transcendental Meditation which allows me to explore deep relaxation… and now trying to heal my body… to the best of my ability, but also to heal my mind and adapt to new things that will express my creative talent. So my art has become my passion… as much as history, because in many ways, the images I paint are history; History of our totems; History of our Inukshuk; History of the Tori Gate. All these represent symbols that are universal in all of us. Through my art I’ve discovered images that help my healing process that are autobiographical… like the Inukshuks, the stone men against the prairie landscape in winter… that’s me, that I’m frozen in stone because I have so little use of my body. So I’m there observing the coming, the changing of the seasons. The coming of winter… the beginning of spring… blossoming into summer, and then into fall, autumn… we can see the world in a blade of grass.

I have so much energy. I expressed it through my teaching. I expressed it through my music. I expressed it through my cycling… not so much observing the landscape, but experiencing it… I cycled for 55 years until my accident… and then it all ended abruptly.

You’ve tapped a source of energy… I’ve been so frustrated in my own personal life that I was ready to explode with anger and thoughts of self destruction and just to end the misery… and art gave me another life again, and you were a big part of that.

The art has restored my self-esteem, teaching restores my self esteem. I still have a head.

Moving Towards Dance for Older Adults

by Mary Jane Warner, Department of Dance, York University

I began dance classes at a young age and assumed that I would always have the satisfaction of taking a dance class. As I aged the classes became increasingly difficult, especially after two hip replacements in my sixties. Typical of the older adult, my balance and flexibility declined, getting to and from the floor was increasingly difficult, and jumps had to be limited in both height and quantity. No longer able to keep up with much younger classmates, I began looking for dance classes for older but active adults, but there didn’t seem to be much available in my community.

Not able to find appropriate dance classes, I turned to fitness classes. Those geared to the 55 plus age group were not sufficiently challenging but regular low impact classes and a personal trainer were alternative options that enabled me to recover from hip surgery and to keep my body in reasonable condition. But something was always missing in these alternative fitness classes that made them less satisfying than my previous dance classes.

What were the missing ingredients? 

Creative Aging Calgary Society

by Gail Hinchliffe, President, and Dianne McDermid, Director of Education and Programming

The Creative Aging Calgary Society (CACS) was formed in 2009 to increase awareness of the positive physical impact that arts participation can have on older adults. To date, we have held two symposiums targeted at older adults, artists, and professionals who work with older adults. The first symposium introduced the concept of creative aging and provided snapshots of nineteen local arts and seniors initiatives. The second symposium included a workshop on how to develop creative aging programs, followed by concurrent workshops on art, drama, and music. Susan Perlstein, from the National Centre for Creative Aging in Washington DC was keynote speaker and a workshop leader at these events.

CACS is currently planning their third symposium to be held Thursday, April 26, 2012. Keynote speakers at this symposium will include Jeff Nachtigall, practicing artist and artist-in-residence at Sherbrooke Community Centre in Saskatoon Saskatchewan, and David Dworking, a clarinetist and orchestra maestro, who, upon retiring, developed an innovative exercise program called “Conductorcize.” The symposium will include workshops on art forms as well as a showcase of seniors’ creative expression activities. For more information about this event, visit the website http://www.creativeagingcalgary.ca/

Membership in CASC is free and includes access to resources and a regular newsletter.

The Arts and Health Project: Healthy Aging Through the Arts

by Jil Weaving and Margaret Naylor

The Arts and Health Project: Healthy Aging Through the Arts began under the name The Arts Health & Seniors Project in 2006 as a three year pilot. The Vancouver Park Board and Vancouver Coastal Health partnered with five other organizations in Vancouver and North Vancouver to provide professionally led arts programming to vulnerable seniors and to study how on-going involvement in community based creative arts practices could:

• improve the health and well-being of older adults facing economic, social and cultural obstacles that inhibit their optimal health and


• enhance the community perception of these seniors as active and valuable members of their community.

This initiative was inspired by Dr. Gene Cohen’s ground-breaking U.S. study The Creativity and Aging Study: the Impact of Professionally Conducted Cultural Programs on Older Adults.

To demonstrate a link between participation in the arts and wellness of vulnerable older people in British Columbia, data was collected over the three years of the Arts Health & Seniors Project and the research report based on this data will be released this fall. The report will explain a significant number of participants experienced improvement in their perceived (i.e. self-reported) health, a reduction in their experience of chronic pain, and an increased sense of community.

Due to the positive impact and popularity of this project it has continued beyond 2009, through the 2011/2012 season.

In 2010-2011 the project had six project sites in Vancouver and North Vancouver, each with an artist and a seniors worker; many also worked with an artist intern. A translator was also available at one site for Cantonese and Mandarin translations. Throughout each year of programming the professional artists, who are deeply engaged in the process of community arts practice, have worked collaboratively with seniors to develop creative processes that reflect the knowledge and life experiences of senior participants. Every year the artists and seniors have produced and exhibited and/or performed works that both reflect the commitment of the collective groups and provide insights into the rich life experiences of the seniors.

The Project structure has consistently included weekly workshops for seniors with professional artists and seniors workers, two annual Arts Experiences, consisting of visits to exhibitions/performances that can expand the seniors’ understanding and appreciation of their work as it relates to the broader field of art, a Community Exhibition/Performance and a curated Year-End Exhibition/Performance of all participating seniors’ work in June.

The project structure also has included peer learning and professional development opportunities for artists and seniors’ workers through Community of Practice meetings and workshops. In 2010-2011 the “CoP” structure has evolved from 6 meetings for artists and seniors workers to 3 “CoP” meetings, 2 capacity building workshops and 3 artist exchange visits to other project seniors group workshops. This change has come about as a result of the artists and seniors’ workers desire to increase the level of exchange and sharing of knowledge within the project.

The intended long-term outcome of this project is “strong, healthy communities that engage seniors as full and active participants and that value the arts as a key contributor to health.”

RAW VISION: The Power of Art in Healthcare

by Jeff Nachtigall

In November 2006, I began a residency with the Saskatoon Health Region. As Artist-in-Residence, I worked with individuals coping with limited mobility and/or cognitive disorders at the Sherbrooke Community Centre; a long-term care facility in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. I implemented a studio program that provided participants with the opportunity to express themselves visually. The studio was to be a place of experimentation and self-expression. I was not interested in teaching art classes, but in facilitating the creative process through self-exploration and self-discovery.

The studio started small. Within a month, more than a hundred residents were working in a variety of mediums and styles, filling the small space to the point of overflow. Most had never made art before. Reduced and restricted mobility (paraplegia and quadriplegia) and cognitive disorders (Alzheimer’s, dementia, and acquired brain injuries) presented them with new challenges and limitations. With perseverance and dedication (and in some cases, working through physical pain), these limitations grew into strengths. Through art, the participants of the studio program have found a new voice…and this new voice has empowered them.

In September 2007 the Mendel Art Gallery shared this life changing experience with an enthusiastic audience. “The Insiders” exhibition showcased the work of twelve artists from the Sherbrooke Community Centre. The response was overwhelming. The National Film Board of Canada featured the studio and the artists in an inspirational and moving documentary; “A Year at Sherbrooke”. The Mendel Art Gallery toured the exhibition throughout Saskatchewan, engaging rural communities in an ongoing and passionate dialog. With the support of the Saskatchewan Arts Board, Potash Corp., the Mendel Art Gallery and several community partners, “The Insiders” catalogue was published in the fall of 2009.

The studio is more popular than ever and continues to be a vibrant hub of activity and exchange. The breakthroughs have been substantial and the benefits profound. Residents who once contemplated suicide are now mentors and role models. Individuals who were previously inactive have found a new energy, enthusiastically expressing themselves through art. The level of productivity has grown exponentially, as the residents dexterity and confidence have increased. Fine motor skills have improved; those who once shook as they tried to grip a brush are now expressing themselves through fluid motions. The positive impact on the residents and their families is astounding. New projects and exhibitions are underway as we continue to push the boundaries of self expression and challenge the stereotypes of individuals with special needs.

In 2007 I designed the Mobile Painting Device (MPD). The MPD provides quadriplegics and paraplegics the ability to express themselves on a very large scale. This fluid form of mark making has helped inspire and invigorate a growing and often overlooked segment of the population.

The “Open Studio Model” I have developed for healthcare is based on a philosophy: I believe that we are all born artists, and that art is our first language. This visual language transcends borders and has the ability to bring people with diverse backgrounds together. This model focuses on the “art” and not the “therapy”, and raises the bar of the ubiquitous “craft room”. Art is a vehicle for change, for healing and for hope. Although initially developed for long term care, this model has since been adapted for acute care, mental health and addictions, at risk youth, transitional environments, primary and secondary schools, universities and colleges, and the private and public sector.

United Active Living Inc.

by Gail Hinchliffe and Dianne McDermid

United Active Living (UAL) is an Alberta based corporation that develops innovative housing for older adults. Currently UAL has two sites: River Ridge Seniors Community in St. Albert, and Garrison Green Seniors Community in Calgary. The housing sites are designed, constructed and operated based on research findings that focuses on providing opportunities for fulfillment, independence and wellness. Both sites are assisted living residences in which the majority of programming emphasizes creative expression and lifelong learning. At Garrison Green, for example, there are two full-time artists-in-residence as well as well as a part time artist. There are two dedicated art studios where there are art classes offered, open studio time and supported art projects. Residents’ art is displayed throughout the lower floor.

Besides these art programs, there is a drama club, choir, kitchen band, ballroom dance lessons, yoga and drum circles. Continuing learning is encouraged through such activities as a lecture series done by faculty from Mount Royal University, educational webinars, and a resident-led men’s education and discussion group. Outings to art galleries, museums, philharmonic performances and plays are common. This level of programming can only be provided through partnerships with family and the greater community.

For more information, go to: http://www.unitedactiveliving.com/