Course Finder

This course provides older adults with a working knowledge of current trends in the art world, as well as a greater understanding of how art influences all of our lives. Older adults will develop an appreciation for contemporary art and will compare and contrast specific pieces of art.

This course helps older adults learn about the structures around them and how to appreciate historical buildings and monuments located locally and around the world. Older adult students learn and discuss with their peers the historical periods and styles of world architecture, as well as the development of modern trends.

This course is designed to provide opportunities for socialization and to enhance the artistic skill and self expression of older adults who wish to maintain creative expression and eye-hand coordination through instruction in drawing using traditional methods. Students, most of whom are new to drawing and painting, are exposed to a variety of artistic materials and processes, and learn to execute a variety of projects to demonstrate understanding of the concepts. Older adult students also participate in constructive critiques of their own and others’ work.

This course helps older adults express themselves by creating indoor and/or outdoor gardens and learn how gardening can lead to a more creative and healthier lifestyle. Older adults discuss maintenance issues, cost factors, and artistic expression in gardening, as well as the history of gardening styles in public and private spaces. Older adults learn about making environmentally sensitive gardening choices, as well as ways to create long-lasting environments that make their lives more pleasant and fulfilling.

This course helps older adults explore new and unusual approaches to the creative process, and encourages and supports them in working with new and non-traditional techniques of self expression. Older adults explore new styles, methods, and context to express feelings, observations, memories, and reactions to the world around them.

This course assists older adults in incorporating the process of creating art into their lives in unusual and inspiring ways. The course provides an atmosphere where older adult students can use their hands, minds, and eyes to express themselves in their art, as well as interact with their peers, unlock their creativity through guided visualization in art and relaxation techniques, and improve their sense of well being by holistically blending mind, body, and spirit through art.

This course is designed for long-term care residents, provides an opportunity for self-expression for more frail older adults, and helps them build a sense of purpose and enhance self esteem through crafts. Older adults maintain manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination by manipulating art materials and tools, and develop ideas as expressed through mixed media, painting, sculpture, and paper making.

This course provides a supportive atmosphere for older adults — from beginners to more advanced students — to explore and experiment with self expression through drawing. Older adult students learn drawing skills, elements of design, composition, and creativity, as well as drawing techniques for representative or stylistic effect. As well, students learn to interpret the perceived “real world” in a two-dimensional field, and to improve their observation and hand-eye coordination. The course focuses on the processes by which one makes art, exposes students to different approaches, and challenges students to think about what they are doing or trying to do.

This course provides a opportunity for older adults to learn to see the human form and draw the anatomy of the human figure. This supportive class explores basic anatomy, movement, and skeletal structure of the figure using live models. Through demonstrations, class exercises, individual instruction, and guidance, beginning students learn basic life drawing skills, while more advanced students sharpen their skills in capturing the physical attributes of the model and expressiveness of the pose.

This course is designed to provide older adults with a supportive environment and an appropriate place to create works of art and express themselves through painting. The course helps older adults maintain or improve hand-eye coordination, painting skills, self confidence, skill in handling art materials, and interaction with other older adults.

This course enhances older adults’ artistic creativity and painting skills through positive motivation and instruction in oils and acrylics techniques that may use the palette knife for effect. Older adults learn how to select supplies and equipment, and basic elements of composition. Painting projects, demonstrations, group critiques, and discussions are used to explore two-dimensional artwork.

This course provides older adults with a supportive environment for instruction in drawing and painting. Older adults, from beginners to more advanced students, maintain or improve their drawing and/or painting skills in a constructive environment, and learn about space, line, value, and color in a workshop atmosphere.

This course enhances older adults’ artistic creativity and painting skills through positive motivation and instruction in oils and acrylic techniques. Older adults learn basic painting techniques, the elements of composition, and how to select and use materials. Painting projects, demonstrations, and group critiques are used to explore two-dimensional artwork.

This course allows older adults who have never used watercolors to acquire a strong foundation in watercolor techniques, and provides those students with some watercolor experience with a strongly supportive peer group in which to paint. Older adult students learn watercolor techniques and methods, as well as washes, brush strokes, color, value, and composition.

This course assists older adults in acquiring basic skills in calligraphy to use for personal growth, self expression, or for family and volunteer projects. Older adult students learn the tools and equipment needed to write the beginning calligraphy alphabet, as well as fundamental calligraphy techniques.

This course expands older adults’ knowledge of calligraphy and everyday calligraphic forms to use for personal growth, self expression, or for family and volunteer projects. Older adult students learn the tools and equipment needed to write the calligraphy alphabet, as well as fundamental calligraphy techniques, lettering styles, and display methods.

This course strengthens older adults’ sense of creativity, competence, motor skills, and sense of belonging to a group through the advanced study of calligraphy. Older adult students learn and/or improve their knowledge of complex lettering styles and letterforms and create professional-quality projects for personal expression.

This course allows older adults who have never used watercolors to acquire a strong foundation in watercolor techniques, and provides those students with some watercolor experience with a strongly supportive peer group in which to paint. Older adult students learn watercolor techniques and methods, as well as washes, textures, color, value, and composition.

This course is designed to provide older adults with a supportive environment to explore artistic self expression, as well as opportunities to socialize with other older adults through instruction in design and basic use of color and color mixing.

This course introduces older adults to three-dimensional design principles and elements, and helps them create expressive works of sculpture. Older adults learn to appreciate sculpture as a medium of self expression, and use a combination of materials and techniques to create a sculptural form and develop an expressive idea using a variety of materials, including items from everyday life. Students are required to purchase or bring their own materials.