Front Porch hosts 5th annual Creative Aging Symposium

The fifth annual Creative Aging Symposium will take place on Thursday, January 27 from 9:00 am – 11:30 am Pacific Time. Hosted by Front Porch programs Creative Spark and Well Connected Español, this virtual event, offered in English and Spanish, explores how creativity can help people grow older with vibrancy and how to leverage creative thinking to live their best lives. The symposium is also sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

“Older age gifts us a distinct period of exploration and reinvention, if we allow ourselves to deeply connect to our creativity and to each other,” said Katie Wade, senior director of Creative Engagement. “The symposium is a place for everyone to explore fresh ideas about aging that are often held in the professional realm but not readily available in mainstream thought.”

The theme of this year’s symposium, Rooted in Belonging, is timely and vital, said Wade. “Cultivating roots of belonging – in your surroundings, a phase of life, within your spiritual compass – unlocks our resiliency, our ability to transform and reinvent.”  This year’s symposiums feature special musical performances, inspirational speakers, and interactive experiences that will spark new ideas or powerful reminders about how we belong to ourselves and others.

Oshea Luja, the artistic director of Still Waters Network and a speaker for this year’s symposium, shared, “We belong by default. It’s not something we have to be invited to, as we are reflections of each other.” The symposium will explore this concept and more, as presenters examine how creativity grounds people’s sense of self and creates community.

Another presenter is curator, coach, art critic, and cultural advisor Piedad Casas Otoya, who “will explore how we create and sustain our sense of belonging as we age, despite life’s challenges and changes,” said Lizette Suarez, director of Well Connected Español. Other speakers and presenters include musician Tammy Hall, writer and psychotherapist Dr. Regina Razon Goldfeder, visual artist Christine Wong Yap, and others.

“We are excited to see what all the speakers have prepared as we dive deeply into our sense of belonging in different stages of life,” said Suarez.

To register, please go to creativeagingsymposium.org or envejecimientocreativo.org and click on the Register Now button. The suggested donation to attend the Creative Aging Symposium is $13. However, there is also an option for a free ticket, in order to prevent cost from being a barrier to participation.

Visit creativeagingsymposium.org to learn more about the event or to see video recordings from past events.