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CAC Co-Hosts Statewide Creative Aging Summit on the UIndy Campus
The Power of Creative Aging
At CAC, we believe that arts and creativity aren't extras — they're essential to how older adults thrive. That belief took center stage last month when the Indiana Arts Commission, in partnership with CAC, hosted the Lifelong Arts Indiana Creative Aging Summit right here on the UIndy campus.
A Collaborative Vision for Indiana
The convening brought together a remarkable cross-section of Indiana's aging and arts communities — aging service providers, libraries, arts organizations, working artists, and creative aging experts — all united around a shared goal: expanding access to evidence-based arts programming for older adults across the state. The energy in the room reflected just how much momentum this work has right now.
Leadership and Community Support
UIndy President Tanuja Singh welcomed attendees and introduced Governor Braun, who spoke about the power of community and the importance of investing in the lives of Hoosiers. Having the Governor present was a meaningful signal that creative aging is being taken seriously at every level of leadership in Indiana.
The Lifelong Arts Indiana Toolkit: A Practical Resource
One of the day's most valuable takeaways was hands-on time with the Lifelong Arts Indiana Toolkit. Built from four years of real-world data and community storytelling collected between 2021 and 2025, this guidebook is a practical, research-grounded resource for anyone — librarians, nonprofit organizers, aging services providers, arts organizations — looking to bring creative aging programming to their community. The Lifelong Arts Indiana initiative has already made a significant impact, providing training and funding to more than 165 sites across 44 Indiana counties and reaching more than 2,000 older adult participants. The toolkit captures the lessons learned from that work and puts them in the hands of the next wave of program builders.
Art in Action: Experience the Work
The day was upbeat and energetic, as Liz Monnier, a founding member of the Fort Wayne Dance Collective, led attendees through "Movement Moments" — an invitation to get up and move together. Creative breakout sessions gave participants a chance to experience the arts firsthand through harp playing, storytelling, weaving, and felting. These were more than just fun additions to the agenda; they were living demonstrations of what evidence-based creative aging programming can look and feel like in practice.
Looking Forward: A Growing Movement
Attendees left the day energized, equipped with new tools, and — perhaps most importantly — connected to a growing statewide network of people doing this work. That sense of community and shared purpose is exactly what CAC is here to help cultivate.
We're proud to have helped bring this summit to Indianapolis and to continue championing the role of creativity in healthy, meaningful aging. Stay tuned for more opportunities to engage with the Lifelong Arts Indiana model, and visit the Indiana Arts Commission at in.gov/arts to learn more.
View photos from the Summit
