THUNDER BAY - Seniors in Thunder Bay are being encouraged to get creative and explore their peak creative years.
The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is hosting a Creative Aging Symposium this week, which includes guest speaker Kathy Smith, founder and coordinator of the Creative Age Network in London, ON.
The symposium is being held from September 21 to 23 and invites community members, artists, care givers, and seniors to learn more about creative aging and how to become involved in this growing field.
Smith said that there is a lot of new research that shows people who are aging have not reached their creative potential and older adults should be encouraged to try new things.
“This isn’t about making macaroni necklaces, this is about being in theatre and dancing and being in all kinds of different art projects,” Smith said.
According to Smith, research shows that new experiences, trying new things, and stepping outside of your comfort zone builds and sustains brain capacity.
“Because we’re older, we have more experience and more wisdom to draw on,” Smith said. “All of these things put together means that actually some people don’t reach their creative peak, which we’ve seen with a lot of scientists and artists, until their mid-70s or mid-80s.”
Smith added that seniors are actually more inclined to step outside of their comfort zone, especially after retirement.
“Sometimes when you get out of the work place you are not as afraid of being judged or evaluated,” she said. “Some seniors are very adventurous and they don’t have as much fear because they don’t fear being judged as much.”
Carol Kajorinne, public programming coordinator with the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, said Creative Aging is very well suited to a community like Thunder Bay.
“We recognized it as a demographic that is already engaged with the gallery, but it’s also a growing demographic that can be more engaged with the gallery and be more engaged with the arts in general,” she said. “I just wanted to bring this movement here to Thunder Bay.”
Between 50 and 70 people are expected to participate in the symposium this week. Kajorinne said that the response has been fantastic and people have been very enthusiastic.
“For me, to have that kind of positive response right off the start shows that this has momentum already,” she said. “I’m already looking into to partnering with other organizations to run more programming. Run focus groups, identify what’s going on, what are some of the gaps, what are some the challenges.”
Smith said that it is wonderful to see Creative Aging gaining so much traction in Thunder Bay and she hopes it will have as positive an impact on the community as it has across the country.
“People say its life changing and gives them new purpose and meaning,” she said. “The research says that people who participate in the creative arts have less doctor’s visits, less depression, less social isolation, more active, and along with physical activity and diet, it’s a key component in remaining engaged and curious and healthy and active.”
