Creative Aging and Access topic of two March roundtables

Continuing programming by the West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) to support The Alliance: Arts and Cultural Organizations (Arts Alliance) will feature two discussions on Creative Aging and Access in March. Anyone who wants to learn about these important disciplines is welcome to attend either session. Health care providers, caretakers, educators, those involved with activities for senior citizens, and interested individuals are encouraged to join in the presentations. Both programs will be held at the West Plains Civic Center, 110 St. Louis St., West Plains, MO.

On March 17 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. lunch will be provided in the Redbud Room. Creative Aging, with a focus on accessibility will be addressed by Virginia Sanders and Michael Donovan of the Missouri Arts Council. Topics will include memory boxes, story circles, dance and singing activities.

Michael Donovan, Executive Director of the Missouri Arts Council, is responsible for developing a strategic and effective organization, and supporting a staff of ten professionals. His focus includes expanded presence statewide, proportional, and equitable grant funding, and building partnerships and creative communities. Prior to joining the state arts council, he was the editor of a publication on fundraising events for nonprofits, directed a cultural center in Louisiana, and worked for a united arts fund in Ohio.

Donovan has been a professional in the arts for over 40 years, serving on many cultural and community boards including the Mid-America Arts Alliance, and grant panels for the NEA and several states and communities. VSA Arts recognized his commitment to accessibility and artists with disabilities with their Award of Excellence. He received his Masters in Community Arts Management from the University of Illinois, Springfield and a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from the University of Missouri–Kansas City.

On March 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon in the Walnut Room, Gary Glazner, founder of "Poetry on Wheels" will share how he came to develop this and other projects. Come for this inspirational presentation on Creative Aging. This promises to be a time for encouraging participation in Creative Aging practices for our area organizations.

Poet Gary Glazner is the founder and Executive Director of the Alzheimer's Poetry Project, (APP). The National Endowment for the Arts listed the APP as a "best practice." NBC's "Today" show, PBS NewsHour, and NPR's "All Things Considered" have featured segments on Glazner's work. Glazner is the author of Dementia Arts: Celebrating Creativity in Elder Care, Health Professionals Press 2014. The APP has provided programming in 36 states and internationally in Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Poland, South Korea, and Turkey.

Please RSVP for either program to info@westplainsarts.org or phone 417-293-2325.

Grant funding for the roundtables is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as part of their Challenge America: Arts Engagement in American Communities programming.