Arts & Aging: A United Arts Wellness Initiative
Comfort, connection, and healing – all delivered through the arts. Arts & Aging brings professional, high-quality arts experiences directly into senior living and care communities and hospital settings, offering residents and patients moments of joy and emotional support. It’s a simple way to enrich your care environment, support your staff, and build community through compassionate and innovative prescriptive arts programming.
The Arts Help Us Stay Connected, Engaged and Inspired
The arts are for everyone, at every age. For older adults, participating in creative experiences provides meaningful opportunities to connect with others, explore new interests, express ideas and continue learning.
Whether through painting, music, dance, theater, writing, photography or experiencing a performance or exhibition, the arts can enrich everyday life and support well-being. Creative activities engage the mind and body while offering opportunities for self-expression, discovery and enjoyment.
The arts build connection. Participating in an arts activity brings people together around a shared experience. For older adults who may experience isolation or changes in their social networks, creative programs can provide opportunities to meet new people, strengthen relationships and build a sense of belonging. Making music together, attending a performance or creating art alongside others can turn a creative activity into a meaningful social experience.
The arts encourage lifelong learning. There is no age limit on creativity or curiosity. Arts experiences invite participants to try something new, develop skills and explore different perspectives. Experimenting with a new artistic medium or discovering an unfamiliar artist can provide a sense of accomplishment while keeping people engaged and curious.
The arts support expression and purpose. Creativity provides a way to share experiences, perspectives and stories. For older adults, artistic expression can offer a meaningful outlet for memories, ideas and emotions while celebrating individual identity and life experience.
The arts contribute to overall well-being. Creative engagement can offer moments of joy, relaxation and stimulation while encouraging people to remain active and connected to their communities. Arts activities can complement other approaches to healthy aging by creating opportunities for social connection, movement, mental engagement and personal expression.
At United Arts Wake County, we believe older adults should have meaningful opportunities to participate in the arts—not simply as audiences, but as creators, learners, performers and active members of our cultural community.
Through partnerships with senior living communities, rehabilitation and care settings, teaching artists and arts organizations, we are working to make high-quality arts experiences more accessible to older adults across Wake County.
Because creativity doesn’t have an expiration date. The arts can help us continue to connect, learn, create and contribute at every stage of life.
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What We Offer
Choose from a curated directory of outstanding artists to bring inspiring arts experiences to your community or workplace.
Programs include:
- Live Music, Drumming & Percussion (world percussion circles, bluegrass performances)
- Visual Arts (watercolor, collage, printmaking, and more)
- Dance & Movement (sessions that inspire people of all abilities to move)
- Storytelling, Poetry & Writing Workshops (haiku writing, personal narrative & memory-sharing sessions)
- Improvisation Workshops (quick-thinking exercises that build confidence & communication — great for teams and professionals)
Why It Matters
- Spark creativity and sharpen quick thinking
- Strengthen connection, communication, and confidence
- Enjoy programming tailored to every age, ability, and professional setting
- Get quality you can trust, with every artist vetted and seasoned
- Skip the planning; we handle it all for you
If you are interested in booking an Arts & Aging program for your community or facility or if you are interested in sponsoring an Arts & Aging program for a publicly subsidized facility, please contact Lee Posey Pike at [email protected].
Other Multi-generational Opportunities
In addition to providing arts programming for the senior residents of Wake County, we can also help support your workforce through the arts. Creativity is a skill, and we help your team build it. Arts @ Work brings hands-on arts experiences into the workplace, turning professional development and team-building into something people actually look forward to. From collaborative painting to storytelling and improv, our sessions sharpen communication, spark innovation, and strengthen teams — no artistic experience required. For more information please contact Lee Posey Pike at [email protected].
