Art: You Got To Have It!

Tuesday, September 15: 5:30-8:30 pm
Saturday, September 19: 2:00-5:00 pm
Tuesday, September 22: 5:30-8:30 pm

Creativity is a defining feature of the human species, and art is intrinsic to human evolution and history. Just as sports or workouts exercise the body, creating art exercises the imagination and is helpful for our mental as well as physical well-being. Reducing stress, enhancing cognitive function, and managing pain are just some of the ways art impacts our well-being. Sessions of artistic self-expression can improve self-confidence and reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and burnout. Using our hands and bodies to express ourselves, activates dopamine pathways, helps us feel good, and helps us process complex emotions. You do not need any special skill or talent to experience these positive physical and mental health improvements. Our brains are wired to secrete feel-good hormones whenever we move, create something, or engage in any type of expressive activity. As well as being therapeutic and good for our health, creating art can be an enjoyable fun experience and one of the great joys of life.



Based on Carolina Aging Alliance participants’ interest, an effort will be made starting September to schedule at least one art class/workshop each month that will accommodate different levels of individual abilities. Offering a variety of figurative, abstract, and functional art classes and workshops will provide creative energy and appeal to a broader and more diverse group of participants. Figurative art sessions will employ the human male and female form as its compelling art subjects. Abstract art sessions will emphasize using a variety of techniques and mix traditional means with more experimental ideas. Functional art sessions will emphasize creative work that serves a practical, everyday purpose while also acting as a visually pleasing object of beauty. Art classes and workshops will also offer the additional benefit and opportunity to meet interesting people and make new friends.



September’s art event will be a Torso Sculpture Class with three sessions. Participants will use water-based clay to sculpt a torso (trunk) of the human body to create their own personal masterpiece to keep and cherish. A male model will pose for the class and the emphasis of the class is to give participants a basic understanding of sculptural techniques and creating sculpture that is correct in form and proportion. Lessons will be 3 hours in length.