Art With Elders

Our Mission Art With Elders uses the power of art, creativity, and community to enrich the journey of aging. Our Vision Our vision is a society in which every older adult engages in the creative arts as part of a healthy and vibrant aging process. What We Do Founded in 1991, AWE works with a wide array of senior living communities and senior centers, to offer art classes to older adults throughout the Bay Area and beyond. In addition to in-person classes, we also offer interactive, intergenerational online classes and workshops for those living independently, as well as in community. Weekly classes are the core of what we do, seniors are able to learn new skills, explore new ideas, and build positive relationships with their peers. Taught by a team of dedicated professional Artist Instructors, elders gather in small groups for two hours each week to learn new skills and create art. The program both celebrates the joy of creating for personal fulfillment, and also promotes development of professional artists who are interested in selling their work. Additionally, we believe that showcasing the artistic achievements of elder artists helps to challenge stereotypes about aging and provides older adults with a presence in the larger community. Through our “AWE Inspiring” Traveling and Online Exhibits Programs, artwork created in AWE classes is displayed across the San Francisco Bay Area, where it is viewed by an estimated 200,000 people annually. Through art classes and exhibitions, AWE is using the power of creativity to build community and offer seniors connectedness, new skills, expanded modes of expression and, most importantly, joy and meaning.