Research Proposal

21st Century Art Education for Older Adults:

Finding Meaning through Meaningful Making

Kaj Lofgreen

University of Missouri
Dr. Kathy Unrath

21st Century Art Education for Older Adults

Abstract
This proposal is to study the data collected and observed before and after implementing
changes in curriculum that reflect current methods and postmodern principles in art education, as
well as studying myself as an art teacher, researcher, and artist, so as to become more aware of
effective practices. I believe that current postmodern meaningful, 21st century curriculum to
reach older art students in profound and meaningful ways can promote new viewpoints, ideas,
and self-efficacy that may show added benefits in the area of mental and physical health in the
participants. To address the research question: How would using meaningful, current, 21st
century approaches to art instruction empower and benefit older art students? The framework
will include auto ethnographic and an artography methodology. The sampling will take
qualitative and quantitative data sources from pre and post surveys, interviews, observations,
video/audio recording, and artwork. For me it is also important that I keep an awareness of
myself as artist and teacher, and collect data from myself as well. I believe that art making on
the part of the facilitator is important and expected with a group of adult learners who have
varied interests and backgrounds. I anticipate that trends will appear and that meaningful art
making that has social, cognitive, and physical benefits may become evident in data collected.
With this information and new knowledge, it is my belief that I will become a more effective
teacher and facilitator to older students and able to assist others in this pursuit.

Statement of Problem:
Position Statement: I believe that all people should have access to a quality meaningful
art instruction. Many older citizens enjoy making art for various reasons and most of them, if
they receive formal instruction at all, often are only exposed to the modern elements and
principals and are not given an opportunity to study art in a meaningful way, with a postmodern
perspective which would include the new National Standards of: Creating, Presenting,

21st Century Art Education for Older Adults

Responding, and Connecting, which are promoted by the NAEA. Due to the numbers of people
turning 65-years-old more than doubling within ten years to 81 million seniors, I see a need
growing and benefits from lifelong learning in the arts. These benefits include cognitive, social,
physical/mental health, community connections, and societal benefits due to healthier,
contributing seniors in the population. Due to increasing interest in the welfare of older people
in a number of areas, many policy makers see a need to train as many qualified arts education
professionals as possible so that quality programs can flourish throughout the country. Studies
indicate and I believe that the quality of life for all older adults can improve through meaningful
art learning and making experiences that can add meaning and purpose to peoples lives.
Research Proposal
Purpose of the Study: To learn of strategies and insights for providing a meaningful art
curriculum to groups of older adults, aware of their varied backgrounds and differences, so that
meaning can become the focus of the making and not simply taking up time with canned crafts
and superficial encounters meant more as therapy and recreation. I believe having a deeper
emotional and cognitive connection to their art making will help empower them to develop a
stronger voice and make connections to deeper meanings and connections to others in the group
and community. Studies show that older adults are looking for more meaning in their lives and
have interests that they want to rekindle; many include art making. Policy makers and leaders
are recognizing the need to keep/be healthy longer for societys benefit. Working in a
community arts setting, I know that I will be asked to facilitate instruction for older adults, so I
have a professional need to become more adept at working with this population.
Research Questions:
How would using meaningful, current, 21st century approaches to art instruction empower
and benefit older art students?

How would the community benefit from seniors learning art education in
meaningful ways? What connections can be made to others?

21st Century Art Education for Older Adults

Would creating personal connections to memories through art help increase

cognitive function in senior art students?

Would an improvement of mental and or physical well-being be evident?

Definition of Terms:

Art in Health Care: Art experiences that enhance healing processes in medical
environments.

Community Building: Making social connections to others in a community.

Art Therapy: A form of psychotherapy that promotes self-expression through art making
used as a remedial activity or aid in diagnosis.

Intergenerational: the interaction between members of different generations and shown

to have benefits for participants.

Visual Thinking Strategy: teacher-facilitated discussions of art images documented to

have positive effects on both teachers and students.

Enduring Ideas: Reoccurring themes and ideas that humans have dealt with for
millennia.

Theoretical Framework:
Qualitative Research with Auto-ethnographic methodology and would like to include an
Artography element so that I am demonstrating the peer roles of being artist, teacher, and
researcher within the group.
Assumptions:
o Through more meaningful art lessons, the more connections are made to the memories, to
other people, and to new knowledge and understandings.
o With more meaningful cognitive connections made, an increase in confidence and
positive feelings will be described.
o Evidence should be observed in the data collected, including artwork and in
communications with the instructor.

21st Century Art Education for Older Adults

Permissions: May be needed from the institution and from individuals or guardians for purpose
of data collection.

Research Design:
o Mixed methods study
o Data Sources: Pre/post Surveys, Interviews, Observations, Video/Photo, Artwork, Artist
statements
o VTS (pre and post writing/video samples)
o Code data for reoccurring themes & changes

Methods and Data Analysis:

Instrumentation/Measurement Tools: surveys with Likert scale, interviews,

observations, video/photo data, artwork (documents), VTS pre and post written or
speaking responses.

Intended Sampling Procedures: The study will collect data from a pool of older adult
participants of varied backgrounds, skills, and interests, in a visual art program with an
average age probably above 65 years.

Data Collection and Analysis Procedures: Data would be collected at the beginning of
instruction, during and at the end. Pre and post surveys, writing samples, interviews taken
and compared. Data collection in the form of observation field notes and video/auto
recording will occur during each session.

Time Line: Not sure (depends on the location and setting) possibly 6-8 weeks, meeting
multiple times per week. Number of participants could vary. Maybe 5-25.

21st Century Art Education for Older Adults

Discussion:
Possible Outcomes that may be observed are:
o
o
o
o
o

There is improvement in the level of enjoyment and satisfaction of the class.

There is improvement in the richness and sophistication of the artwork created.
There are improved social interactions and cooperation within the group.
There is an improved verbal or written language skill evident in some participants.
There is a sense of improved mental or physical well-being demonstrated or expressed.

Literature Review
After reading literature about art education for older people, I am beginning to see
patterns, areas of overlap and agreement and also areas of possible investigation. A few articles
indicate an awakening of the potential that art education can provide benefits long after most
people end formal educational training in organized school settings. With the number of older
adults doubling over the next 15 years, policy makers are starting to look into ways to make
these years more productive and beneficial for society. Brain science is indicating that the more
active we are in learning new things, the more we may be able to slow down the aging process in
the brain. It is now common knowledge that eating healthy promotes a better physical health as
we age, but many of us dont think about our brains and learning as we age. This may be just
one benefit that art instruction can offer older people and has me looking for ways that art
making and learning can be used to improve the lives of people of all ages.
Social Connections and Intergenerational Studies:
An ethnographic study done about the (AHS) Arts, Health, Senior Program in Vancouver,
Canada, and reported by Moody and Phinney (2012), in the article called: A Community-

21st Century Art Education for Older Adults

Engaged Art Program for Older People: Fostering Social Inclusion. It is assumed that since
lack of socializing can contribute to emotional, and then consequently, physical decline, that
more social interaction will show benefits to the older adults.
Research question: How does the involvement in the AHS program contribute to the
senior participants experience of community? Ethnographic methods included observations,
interviews, and document review. This study allowed for a holistic look at the program. The
goal of the program is to contribute to a strong community where older people are valued and are
contributing participants.
In the findings it was reported how the participants connected with others in the
community and also within the program. It occurred in two ways; one was described as to how
new connections were made to community and the other was through collaboration as a group.
(Moody and Phinney, 2012)
Many seniors were referred to the center due to their risk of social isolation often living
with family and had disruptions in their social lives. Also, they were dealing with mobility
issues and could not drive, so staff would transport many of them to the site. Connections were
made on different levels. These included engaging in public space, making intergenerational
connections during a collaborative experience, and connecting with artists, especially during the
work on a curated art exhibit. Seniors were found to identify themselves as artists and made
improved connections to family and community. Group cohesion developed as well. This study
claims that their research supports the idea that the program was able to promote social inclusion.
Another qualitative study by Weintraub & Killian (2007), focused on the perceptions of
thirteen elderly participants of adult day services in an intergenerational program with an
attached childrens daycare center and how the program affected their emotional well-being.

21st Century Art Education for Older Adults

This experience was designed to offer an individual plan of care to assist seniors who have
cognitive or physical limitations or impairments. Interviews were transcribed and coded to
discover themes which emerged. These themes included peer support, freedom of choice,
enthusiasm, family connections and the sense of being needed. The results reported very
positive feelings about the intergenerational programming. Three themes to consider for best
practices are:

Consider allowing the senior participants to choose how much involvement they take part

in with the children, because it was reported as a sign of their wishes being respected.
Referring to the volunteer efforts by the adult participants as working, conveyed a

sense of value to their efforts.

Referring to the older volunteers as grandmas and grandpas helped create a familial
bond between the children and the seniors.

Research suggests the positive potential of intergenerational programming in a number of

areas including the intervention in cognitive decline. As reported by Weintraub & Killian,
(Tilvis et al. 2004, p. 371) many traditional nursing care facilities are not able to meet the needs
of seniors of the future. It is necessary to find new and better ways to meet the cognitive,
emotional, and social needs of the seniors. Intergenerational programming is likely to continue
and grow in importance.
After reading several studies it has become apparent that having experiences that allow
older adults to meet and work in mixed generational settings provides opportunities to see
themselves and others differently which can help improve physical and mental health. These
studies reported that learning that others seemed interested in what they had to share improved
their self-esteem. A sense of being valued and a feeling of social bonding occurred through the
collective work of staging an exhibition. Also, family members reported that relationships

21st Century Art Education for Older Adults

improved when the senior adult was actively engaged, sharing knowledge and skill and reported
that communication was improved and positive feelings were experienced by many in the
families and community. I believe that intergenerational experiences should be included in a
quality current art education program for older adults.
Olivia Gude says, Through a quality art education, students become familiar with, are
able to use the languages of multiple art and cultural discourses, and are thus able to generate
new insights into their lives and into contemporary times.(p.14) Many of the themes Gude
addresses seem applicable to older adults as well as school aged children. She speaks of building
community through collaborative works that investigate community themes challenging the
status quo and imagining new possibilities along with preserving what is good and traditional in
a community, but also looking for new ideas as well. (2007) I see that people of all ages can
learn and grow given an environment that encourages and inspires people.

Physical and Mental Benefits:

In coordination with five sponsors Cohen (2005) conducted a rigorous national study
examining the effects of community-based art programs on the health and functioning of older
adults. The study compares the physical and mental health and social functioning of 150 adults
ages 65-years and up to a control group of 150 adults. Most were living independently when the
study began. The two groups were also similar in functioning and health status. The control
group was free to socialize, attend classes, or do any of their normal activities, including art on
their own. The study wanted to see if creativity involved in the arts programs caused a
difference rather than just regular structured social situations. (2005) The arts group met for 35
weekly meetings comparable to a college course. There also were assignments, exhibitions, and

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concerts in which to participate. Assessments of the participants health, social functioning, and
a comprehensive questionnaire at the beginning of the program, the mid-point, and the end were
taken, in a 2-year time frame. The hypothesis was that people who participated in the arts group
would show fewer declines than the control group. Expectations were exceeded. Many people
stabilized their health, some actually improved in health. This occurred within a group of people
who averaged aged 80 years. All results were statistically significant that reflected real
differences. The arts group had overall better health, fewer doctors visits, and fewer
medications, were less depressed, were less lonely, and were more socially active. These are the
kind of results that I would hope to find with my study. (Cohen, as reported by Lawton and La
Porte, 2013)
In the book, The Mature Mind, Cohen (2005) studied the positive effects of creativity on
health for older adults. It found that creativity in the later years often follows three patterns:
o Commencing creativity
o Continuing or changing
o Connected to loss
Older adults that now have more free time are able to try something new and often begin
successful endeavors in new directions. Some will build on creativity around careers or
activities that began much earlier in life. Sometimes due to health conditions or loss of ability,
people find that they must change the way they live, and that this can bring about new sources of
creativity. From this study (which created interest by researchers and policy makers)
community-based arts programs have a real impact on good health promotion, disease
prevention, and the support of independent living for older people. (Cohen, 2005)

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In an article by Schmidt (2006) which is an overview of research dealing with creativity,

studies have shown that there are connections to the reduction of pain and increased neurological
effects to creative people that suffer from pain and other consequences of aging.
The adult brain continues to evolve as we age and trends appear around certain ages. In
this Lawton & La Porte report they again cite Cohen (2005) that between the 40s and age 65
adults experience the feeling of mortality and also the changes in brain function that demonstrate
more efficient signal transmission. This study suggests that this will lead to the more holistic and
nuanced thinking that is useful in art education. Between the 50s and early 70s neuron
production increases in the brain. This indicates an increase in the desire for novelty and for
trying new things which works well for those with more time who are ready to retire. From the
60s to the 90s a third period develops where a desire to find meaning in ones life increases. A
need to share wisdom and leaving a legacy appears as part of this desire for meaning. (p.314)
I believe this fits well with activities that point to working in intergenerational programs
or activities. I see a real benefit for both groups to expand understanding, to find meaning, and
develop empathy. Here the use of technology with the sharing of stories and art making could
help bring about more connections to memories and experiences. Visual Thinking Strategies
could be incorporated which may support verbal and written language skills and assist in making
connections to previous knowledge, while find meaning in art and changing the perception about
art with this older population.

Societal Benefits and Need for Public Policy:

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Fundamental goals for older adults' art study may include the search for meaning in their
life experience, a comprehension of their place in their culture, and a higher, transcendent
level of human understanding. Kauppinen (1990)
An advocacy article by Gay Hanna (2006) outlines the recommendations for policy
makers for the benefit of our growing elderly population. Benefits outlined include healthcare,
lifelong learning, and community building. A national conference was held in 2005 sponsored
by the NAEA, the National Endowment for the Arts, along with AARP, and the National Center
for Creative Aging. It brought together national leaders in the fields of art education, healthcare,
government and research. This article shed light on findings that included best practices and
model programs. In healthcare for example, studies show the physical and mental benefits of the
arts, which have helped grow arts programs in healthcare. However with a lack of funding for
resources and the need to increase education and understanding about the benefits of the arts for
programs designed for older adults, recommendations were made for more advocacies to policy
makers.
It is appealing to see the many benefits of arts education which are outlined by research
in this article. I see a need for more research which could eventually help with finding solutions
to some of societys problems regarding the care and welfare of our older citizens.
Recommendations were made for two areas: Arts in Healthcare and Lifelong Learning and
Community.
For arts in healthcare are:
o Find more funding for research that investigates the value of arts promoting health and
long-term living.
o Enhance the ability of professional caregivers to integrate the arts into a comprehensive
approach to improve quality of care for a diverse population.
o Evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs and best practices of community-based
and healthcare settings.

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o Establish a clearinghouse of model programs and best practices; and promote best
practices to decision makers at various levels.
o Create a corps of trained members to work with older adults in arts settings.
For community and lifelong learning the recommendations included:
o To invest in more research, both qualitative and quantitative, that looks at the economic
and health benefits of lifelong learning in the arts.
o Provide incentives for regional arts organizations, state agencies, and local arts groups;
expand the definition of arts education to include lifelong learning.
o Invest directly in arts organizations that use private and public funds to increase access.
o Promote the importance of creativity and lifelong learning to the public through
awareness campaigns.
o Create partnerships between local resources such as museums, libraries, higher education,
and community centers so as to create new or replicate existing model programs and best
practices.
o Develop mentorships between students in K-12 schools, higher education institutions,
and community organizations with older adults and their education students.
Recommended Practices:
La Porte (2015) reports that while working with older people, the teacher should become
more of a facilitator and a resource for self-directed learning. This study was conducted to learn
more about how older adults respond to varied art curriculum and independent learning. A
classroom of older students was observed that met once per week for two hours. It consisted of
eight to ten adults from a low-income senior housing facility. Findings indicate that the curricula
should include the many levels of art skills and knowledge as well as individual life experience.
Consideration should be made for finding out what students want to study and to introduce many
different styles and artists to the class to expand their knowledge and inspire art-making.
Themes developed that added meaning to the lessons that center on a big idea. It was noted that
the more confidence gained by students through knowledge and experience in the class, the
higher the desire for independent study and that it is important to let adult students interests and

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determine curriculum choices. This was the first article that I found to relate to a postmodern art
curriculum. This study seems very close to what I want to examine in my study. I believe that
new information here will help guide me on questions that I want to investigate further.
The need for learning more about adult education theory is becoming more apparent for
aiding in the teaching of adults if this is a new area of teaching for the instructor. In Pearl
Greenbergs book, Visual Arts and Older People, the author takes a look into the area of adult art
education back in the 1980s and has some good insight into recommended practices that are still
relevant today. She recognized the growing need and demand of arts education for older adults
years ago and saw this demand due to higher education levels along with exposure to the arts in
the older populations of tomorrow believing that there must be an effort to fight stereotypes of
older people, their capabilities and what life holds for them. Seeing in the potential for arts
education to enhance the lives of seniors, Greenberg advocates for the need for trained qualified
personnel to take these programs to new levels of quality and accomplishment. Greenberg gives
practical advice for teaching older students. Some suggestions are using questionnaires to get
information and feedback. To decrease initial anxiety for beginners, give them opportunities to
explore mark making and discover variations and possibilities for creating. In an art studio
expectations and goals will be different for each student; some will be more serious about their
goals and others will be enjoying the social aspects of the environment (1987). Much of the
book is devoted to art projects, ideas, and art hazards and precautions which are meant especially
for the untrained facilitator who may be reading the book for her own education in teaching art.
This article is helpful in gathering strategies to facilitate a group of older art students. One
important topic is on art safety and the use of materials. A new idea for me identified how

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chemicals in paints and materials could have negative effects due to a persons medications, and
is an area of concern which should be studied.

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References

Barret, D. B. (1993). Art Programming for Older Adults: Whats out There?, Studies in
Art Education, Vol. 34(3), 133-140
Cohen, G. D. (2005). The Mature Mind. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Greenberg, P. (1987). Visual Arts for Older People. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas,
Publishers.
Gude, O. (2007). Principles of Possibility: Considerations for a 21st Century art & culture
curriculum, Art Education, 60(1), 6-17.
Hanna, G. (2006). Focus on Creativity and Aging in the United States. Generations,
30(1), 47-49.
Jones, J. E. (1980). The Elderly Art Student: Research and the Participants Speak, Art
Education, Vol. 33(7), 16-20.
Kauppinen, H. (1990). Changing Perspectives on Older Adults Mental Abilities and
Educational Needs: Implications for Art Education, Studies in Art Education, Vol. 31(2),
99-105.
La Porte, A. M. (2015). Older adult responses to art curriculum and self-directed learning,
International Journal of Education through Art 11(1), 5974.
Lawton, P. H., & La Porte, A. M. (2013). Beyond traditional art education:
Transformative lifelong learning in community-based settings with older adults. Studies
in Art Education: A Journal of Issues and Research in Art Education, 54(4), 310-320.
Moody, E., & Phinney, A. (2012). A community-engaged art program for older people:
Fostering social inclusion. Canadian Journal on Aging, 31(1), 55-64.
Pink, D. (2005). A Whole New Mind. New York, NY: Riverhead Books, Penguin Group
Schmidt, P. B. (2006), Creativity and coping in late life, Generations, 30: 1, 2731
Taylor, C.L. (1987). Art and the Needs of the Older Adult, Art Education, Vol. 40(4), 815.
Weintraub, A.P.C., & Killian, T.S. (2007). Intergenerational programming: Older persons
perceptions of its impact. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 26, 370 384.