About the Film

The Creative Power of Aging is a half-hour film that illustrates the benefits of creative expression for older adults and shows how this activity is being fostered in artist studios, dementia care settings, community centers, and other locations where older Minnesotans live, work and gather. The film is a collaborative project among MnCAAN, Twin Cities Public Television (tpt), Ebenezer, HealthEast, and the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation.

Featured in the film are two musicians and a visual artist who discuss the evolution of their work in their older years. The film also spotlights visual art, dancing, and creative writing activities at Ebenezer, Wilder, and HealthEast service sites. Interviews with participants and family members, teaching artists, and staff at the three sites are included, along with comments by MnCAAN board members Jan Hively and Pat Samples.

The film will be aired for the first time on Channel 17 on May 24, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. and will be shown repeatedly in the coming year throughout the state on tpt’s Minnesota Channel. It will also be shown at 12 campaign kickoff events around the state as part of MnCAAN’s new campaign: Creativity Matters for Older Minnesotans.

Featured artists in the film:

Louis Alemayehu, poet, educator, and founder of Ancestor Energy, an arts collective that performs around the region.

Carei Thomas, pianist, composer, educator, member of Ancestor Energy, and founder of Sound Window(s), who has contributed to many music, literary, visual arts, and dance activities in Minnesota.

Lucy Rose Fischer, full-time visual artist since she retired in 2003 from her first career as a gerontologist. Her artwork, shown frequently in Minnesota galleries, includes pieces exploring the experience of aging.

Featured programs in the film:

Studio and Fine Arts Program

Location: Loren on Park, an Ebenezer residence in Minneapolis
Teaching Artist: Laurie Salmela
Program: A weekly group of residents work in watercolor each Wednesday afternoon, with periodic instruction sessions with Laurie Salmela supporting their learning. Their works have been displayed and sold at art shows onsite and elsewhere.

Creative Writing Class
Location: Loren on Park, an Ebenezer residence in Minneapolis
Teaching Artist: Pat Samples
Program: Twice a month residents meet to write their memories and work on improving their writing skills. Class members give readings from their works onsite and in other venues.

Dancing Heart Program
Location: Amherst H. Wilder Foundation Adult Day Program in St. Paul
Teaching Artist: Maria Genné and Kairos Dance Theatre
Program: The Dancing Heart model is a 90-minute, chair-based program that offers structured dance and storytelling experiences for frail adults experiencing memory loss. The results are significant increases in social engagement and improvements in cognition.

HealthEast Passport Quilters
Location: City Passport in St. Paul (a center for older adults operated by HealthEast and City of St. Paul)
Teaching Artist: Self-led
Program: In the past 8 years, the HealthEast Passport Quilters have created and donated over 1,000 quilts to children who are ill or new to the United States and to other children's causes. Over the years, some of the faces have changed, but their mission and dedication has remained the same.

Kaposia and Four Wind Dancers
Location: City Passport in St. Paul (a center for older adults operated by HealthEast and City of St. Paul)
Teaching Artist: Kaposia and Four Wind Dancers
Program: The Kaposia and Four Wind Dancers is a Native American Dance team, with dancers ranging in age from 8 to 50). They dress in traditional outfits, sing, drum, and dance in order to teach about Native American Dance and customs. Audience members have the opportunity to learn and dance.