Catitude celebrates aging artists

By Mary Goldmeer
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The Goodyear Arts & Culture Commission, in partnership with Catitude Arts, hosted an artist reception to showcase works created through its Creative Aging program for adults 55 and older.

Creative Aging is a national movement focused on highlighting the positive connection between creative expression and quality of life among older adults. The Goodyear, Catitude exhibit features visual and performing arts, along with a variety of workshops. The displayed pieces represent work produced during the most recent Creative Aging season.

Gayle Glenn, a retired art teacher and long-time instructor in the program, had four pieces in the exhibition. One of her paintings, “Coral Reef in Costa Rica,” won first place.

Glenn said she sees the classes as both instructive and community-building.

“I love taking the classes, even when I’m teaching there's always something to learn,” she said. “I like being with the other artists, it's a beautiful community.”
Glenn said that balancing her dual roles as educator and student has enriched her own practice.

Dariana Trevizo, director of programs and development for Catitude Arts, helped coordinate the reception and the annual show.

“We are giving love to all these artists who have taken classes in our fiscal year,” Trevizo said.

Trevizo said class instructors, city staff and Catitude Arts volunteers maintain a master list of student participants and coordinate the logistics of the reception. 

“We are able to bring together our community here and allow them to celebrate the year and we are celebrating the opportunity to allow them to be more creative, I love it so much,” Trevizo said.

Catitude Arts was founded in 2010 by local artist Bonnie Lewis with a mission to make art accessible. Its programs include courses for high school students to build portfolios and for seniors with no prior art experience. In 2017 the organization launched a Mural Mentorship program, emphasizing its values of Community, Arts and Team.

In Arizona, the Creative Aging movement has gained institutional support. AZ Creative Aging, an initiative of the Arizona Commission on the Arts, is backed by the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. Its goals include training teaching artists, supporting aging service providers and embedding best practices in communities statewide.

The Arizona Commission on the Arts, states that decades of research suggest that older adults participating in professionally conducted arts programs enjoy fewer doctor visits, improved cognitive function and higher morale with reduced social isolation.

As the U.S. population ages, initiatives like Creative Aging shift the narrative from deficits associated with later life toward strengths, purpose and continued growth through the arts.