Building upon the success of the Leveraging State Investments in Creative Aging program which for Tennessee was the Creative Aging Tennessee II program, the Tennessee Arts Commission sought funding from the States Leading Creative Aging program, a joint initiative of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) and E.A. Michelson Philanthropy.
In year 2023, a $95,000 grant was awarded to the Tennessee Arts Commission for its Creative Aging Tennessee III state-wide initiative and was one of only nine state arts agencies receiving awards from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA). With this funding, Tennessee built on existing creative aging programs to gain significant ground in meeting the needs of older adults in communities. Tennessee Arts Commission’s new state-wide initiative, Creative Aging Tennessee III, which was implemented because of this funding from years 2023 – 2025 and had the following goals:
- Expand arts programming targeted to older adults in communities with limited arts access
- Increase education of all teaching artists to work with older adults with different physical and cognitive disabilities.
- Expand communications and marketing about the arts programs offered, and partner with networks or state-wide affiliated groups, including libraries, senior centers, community centers, and places of worship to make programs more accessible.
- increase access to and participation in arts learning for artists to provide sequential arts learning for older adults resulting in improved arts skills and knowledge, well-being, and social connectedness.
The State of Tennessee added additional dollars to this initiative and over two grant cycles (FY24 and FY25), applicant organizations could request up to $5,000 in non-matching grant dollars for artist fees, materials for participants, marketing, and salary support. To receive this funding as outlined in the grant guidelines, applicants had to either recommend an artist from their local community to be trained by Lifetime Arts or choose an artist from the existing Creative Aging Teaching Artist Roster. Lifetime Arts, a national organization that trains artists across the country in techniques that effectively increase older adult arts learning, was contracted with by the TN Arts Commission to provide two training sessions specifically for Tennessee-based artists and one newly developed training on working with adults with cognitive and physical disabilities.
As a result of Creative Aging Tennessee III, the following was achieved:
- In FY24, four nonprofit organizations and governmental entities received dollars through the Creative Aging TN III grants funding and in FY25, fifteen organizations.
- Three trainings provided by Lifetime Arts to Tennessee Artists in 2024.
- Increased the Creative Aging Teaching Artist Roster to 32 artists and 9 organizations.
- Involved MTSU Graduate Student, Anna Robison in evaluating & documenting creative aging programs work through creation of a video, photos and other documentation.
Increased the number of older adults throughout Tennessee with limited access to the arts, with arts programming to encourage connection, creativity, and skills.
