Jasmine Redgrave is an arts educator at the Anchorage Museum. She taught a class recently on paper quilting.
Melinda Dale (left) and Carol Goltz participated in the paper quilting class offered by the Anchorage Museum. The museum has a Vital & Creative series for adult learners.
We profiled four adults who have become more creative in the latter part of their lives from April to July. We're concluding that coverage with suggestions about how to engage in artistic pursuits through learning. We are grateful to the Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism for providing grant support for this project.
You haven't touched your yarn stash in a year. Your guitar gathers dust in the corner. Your camera still has an SD card from 2020 in it.
Maybe it's time to get out of your creative rut and learn or relearn techniques that can bring more meaning and joy to your life.
Over the last four months, the Senior Voice has profiled four individuals whose creative activity took off in the latter part of their lives. For many of them, leaning into their artistic efforts came when work, children, or other commitments were taking up less time in their lives. In some cases, they felt a certain "It's now or never" impulse.
Steve Johnson, former debate coach for the University of Alaska Anchorage debate team and a retired professor of communication, had played the guitar before. But it was during the second year of the pandemic that he decided to get serious about music.
"On this last push I'm decided going to play this dang thing or I'm going to get rid of it," he said. He started attending open jams, where musicians gather and play together. "I found people who were interested in playing. I'm not sure if it was an act of humility or an act of foolishness to go. I said, 'I'm going to suck at this for a while.' I'm not as terrible as I once was."
He took online classes, face-to-face classes, and continues to hone his musicianship. The big leap was playing in front of others.
Now Johnson appears with Uncle Jim, the East-Side Balladeer, sometimes playing farmers markets around Anchorage. And he has other musicians he practices with, pushing himself to learn new styles of music and new basslines.
Online classes
A plethora of classes are available online, from music to painting to cooking classes.
One platform is MasterClass, which features celebrities who impart some wisdom. You can tell the platform what you're interested in learning, and it will give you choices (and celebrities) that will appeal to you, such as learning how to entertain with Martha Stewart to guide you. These are not going to make you into a great painter, but it can tickle your curiosity.
Other online classes can be one-on-one or close to it, so that you are learning a skill at the elbow of a professional via video or audio. Often, you can rewatch these.
Many a knitter, crocheter, quilter and other crafter have learned skills by watching technique videos on YouTube again and again.
Museum classes
The Anchorage Museum has a whole area called Vital & Creative tailored for those 55 and older. The classes are popular because you're working with a local artist in community with other older adults.
The Museum of the North in Fairbanks is associated with UAF, and many of their educational offerings are available through the university. For example, over two days in July the museum offered a bug camp for adults.
University classes
All three public universities in the state allow seniors to take classes. You have to be 65 or older by the first day of the semester (Aug. 24 this fall) or you have to be eligible to receive full Social Security retirement benefits. You must wait to register until the first day of class or later, on a space-available basis. Tuition is free, but you are still charged for lab fees, course materials, and campus fees. You also have to apply as a non-degree-seeking student through the university portal.
This means that ceramics, painting, creative writing, dance, and music and many other options are available for you if space is available.
Non-credit classes
OLE, Opportunities for Lifelong Education in Anchorage offers some classes to enhance your artistic abilities.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UAF offers lectures and courses for adults 50-plus. https://www.campusce.net/uafolli/category/category.aspx
Many craft stores, such as Seams Like Home, a quilt shop in Anchorage, offer classes. https://www.akseams.com/classes.html Look to see if your local community center or local businesses offer classes.
Making your own opportunities
Some of us want to develop our artistic skills, but we want to combine our efforts with travel or adventure. You could get much better at astrophotography by going to a place with dark skies and an instructor who can help you tune your equipment to the demands of the environment. Here is just one of those outfits: https://astrophotographyworkshop.com/night-sky-photography-workshops/
There are dozens of artists who also provide workshops, sometimes one on one, and sometimes in group settings. And they often combine them with travel opportunities. Here are just a couple:
https://www.ideaartstudios.com/store/p12/azvineyardpaintingworkshop.html
