CVCOA Hosts Second Annual Creative Aging Celebration

Barre, VT (April 5, 2023) – Central Vermont Council on Aging (CVCOA) is hosting a Creative Aging Celebration event on Friday, June 2 from 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier. This free community event will showcase creative work by CVCOA’s Creative Care Kit participants, feature additional artwork by local artists age 60+, and engage attendees through interactive exhibits. CVCOA’s Creative Care Kit project provided skills-based, practice-focused, and social-centric arts activities to people in their homes, and CVCOA is excited to honor the work of these artists.  

Artwork will include watercolors, drawings, cartoons, crafts, and poetry by Creative Care Kit participants. Local artists and community partners will also share work, including pottery, photography, and writing from the “Everyone Has a Story to Tell” project through Lamoille Neighbors. Attendees can participate in live workshops and activities, including: a participatory collage project, a painting workshop, a “Seeds of Writing” workshop, an Ageless Grace program, a sing-along with the Green Mountain Strummers, an “Aging is Living” collaborative project, and more. A full schedule can be found at www.cvcoa.org/creative-aging-celebration. 

Snacks and drinks will be available during the event by donation. Masks will be encouraged for all. Attendees can stop by anytime between 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to view artwork in the gallery. No tickets are required, and people of all ages are encouraged to attend. 

Following the event on June 2, CVCOA will sponsor Creative Aging Celebrations throughout the month at local partner nutrition programs during their regularly scheduled lunchtime congregate meals. Reservations are required to attend these meals. For more information and congregate meal locations, please visit www.cvcoa.org/creative-aging-celebration.  

Vermont Arts Council has supported CVCOA’s creative aging initiative since its inception in 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Director Troy Hickman says, “Creative Aging programs are so important in bringing people together to connect, share joy, and to create. We are all creative beings and as we age - after our children are raised and/or after our careers are less central to our identity, these opportunities for artistic intent are essential to our health and our connections to ourselves and others.” 

This event is sponsored by the Vermont Arts Council. Funds raised will provide creative aging opportunities for older adults in the community, including homebound older adults. Donate to support the event online at http://tiny.cc/cvcoa-creative-aging. Creative aging opportunities can have a positive impact on social, emotional, mental, and physical well-being.  

CVCOA is proud to honor the creative voices of older adults in Central Vermont communities. We encourage artists age 60+ to reach out about opportunities to include their work in this event. Please contact Luke Rackers at 802-479-1953 or [email protected].