Making St. Louis a Great Place to Artfully Age

The St. Louis region is getting older. People are living longer. According to the Missouri Senior Report, about 15.2 percent of our region (St. Louis city and county) are age 65 and older, and that number is expected to continue to rise. Just because people are aging, doesn’t mean their desires to get out and enjoy life lessen. Which is one central reason the Celebrating Art for Senior Engagement (CASEfest) festival is an important part of the fabric of the St. Louis community. Back for its second year, CASEfest takes place April 20-30 at venues across the region and handsomely responds with opportunities for senior involvement to encourage increased quality of life experiences and making St. Louis a great place to artfully age.

Presented by Maturity and Its Muse, CASEfest will showcase creative work, promote arts related aging programs and feature positive images of the elderly in the community to build respect and understanding between generations at dozens of venues throughout the region. Maturity and Its Muse's mission is to promote positive, productive aging through the arts.

CASEfest is the premier and only area-wide festival dedicated to the St. Louis region's older adult population. From Saint Louis Art Museum and Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis to area galleries, libraries and more, arts events, dance, music and other programs can be found for people of all abilities and interests. Intergenerational opportunities also exist.

As events are continuously being added, you can find an up-to-date calendar online: maturityanditsmuse.org/calendar/. The majority of events will be free, however a few may cost or ask for pre registration.

"CASEfest is about enjoying life, having fun and bringing together the power of the arts to energize and transform the well being of older adults,” said Lynn Hamilton, creator of Celebrating Art for Senior Engagement. “Art and artists have the ability to inspire all of us to try our hand at something we always wanted to do.”

Karlovsky & Company Dance was one of the multitude of performers during the 2016 CASEfest and is returning this year. “When I heard about the Celebrating Art for Senior Engagement, I knew we had to be involved,” said Dawn Karlovsky. “This was exactly the type of program I have been interested in for many years.”

“Life doesn’t end because of a certain number we turn,” said Hamilton. “Life continues to be a gift that should be celebrated every day and I believe the arts play one of the biggest roles in keeping us vibrant as we age.”