NEA: One in seven Americans is 65 or older, and that number will double by 2020. This monumental demographic shift calls for better resources to promote healthy aging. Today, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA) release The Summit on Creativity and Aging, which offers recommendations for the public and private sectors, noting that the federal government is poised to take a leadership role in fostering change.
2 comments:
This really strikes at a vital yet often uncontemplated relationship: aging and how the arts can enhance both a community as a whole, as well as the individual aging process. There have been numerous scientific studies performed and reports compiled regarding the benefits of creativity and artistic pursuit on the mind and body. I am quite glad there is a focus on gaining this movement and way of thinking more visibility and awareness. It would be interesting to hear some of the concrete ways the National Endowment for the Arts and other organizations would approach implementing these changes in communities.
It is reassuring to hear that the federal government has taken an interest, with these issues even reaching the eyes and ears of the White House. Perhaps we will see these two marginalized demographics - those in the arts, and the elderly and over 65 population - gain some much needed attention and improvement.
I’m glad something like the National Center for Creative Aging is being created. It’s something that has always been a prevalent in the arts. It’s an industry which people cannot age with. The circumstances of most artistic industries (like theatre, film, television, etc.) are rigorous, fast paced, and unhealthy for the young twenty-somethings, let alone senior citizens. In the theatre industry, we have it a little better since age doesn’t seem to matter as much (casting-wise) as in TV or film. But still, you don’t see many people over 50 working in the industry, so where do they go? Why do they leave? They for sure didn’t make enough money to retire, so what happened? This is one of the many factors that leads to art being considered an ‘unsustainable job’, and is something that should be remedied. Art is meant to be created and consumed by anyone, regardless of age.
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