Creative Aging at School One
School One partners with older adult communities across Rhode Island to offer innovative, intergenerational arts programs for adults 50 and older. Led by professional teaching artists, our classes introduce participants to new art forms while fostering meaningful connections with School One students.
Since 2016, with support from E.A. Michelson Philanthropy and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, we’ve been proud to lead the way in Creative Aging—where creativity and community come together.
2025-2026 Arts Classes for Adults 55+: Creative Aging Offerings!
This year, School One offers three exciting visual art classes for older adults.
Participants will explore how to make paintings using gouache, acrylic, and watercolor using various processes and subjects. Students will delve into processes such as plein air, using a grisaille, layering, and glazing. Through creating master copies, presentations of artists' works, color mixing workshops, and understanding brush selection we will learn to make paintings from the ground up. This section of the course is designed to introduce or level up your understanding of painting, layering, color mixing, and composition This section of the course is designed to inspire your creativity while strengthening your technical abilities. This class will be fun, creative and pressure-free. All skill levels welcome.
Dates: September 8-June 1
Time: Tuesdays, 3:00-6:00 PM
Instructor: Michael Gunn
Register: This class is closed. To be added to the waitlist please contact Diana at dianac@school-one.org.
This class is designed to build lifelong fiber arts skills while strengthening your technical abilities through hands-on exploration. Throughout the fall term, students will be introduced to a variety of techniques, including hand sewing, mending, machine sewing, embroidery and sashiko, embellishment, fabric printing, dyeing methods, and more. Weekly demonstrations will allow you to explore each technique and discover the skills you'd like to develop further. If you have a favorite fiber art or technique you'd like to incorporate into your projects, you're encouraged to share it with the class! The course begins with the fundamentals of hand sewing, including essential tools and techniques, before progressing to simple projects focused on embellishing and mending clothing. Students may choose to alter their own clothing with the techniques learned or to create a lap quilt while incorporating the techniques learned throughout the course. By the end of the session, you'll have completed one or more personalized projects while building the confidence and skills to continue on your own.
All classes are in person at School One at 220 University Avenue on the east side of Providence. This class will be fun, creative and pressure-free. All skill levels welcome.
Dates: September 7- December 1
Session #1 will be December 1 - March 3 (includes school vacation December 20- January 5)
Time: 12:30-2:00 p.m.
Instructor: Rebecca Siemering
Register here.
Past Creative Aging programs have included:
- Storytelling
- Printmaking
- Memoir
- Painting and drawing
- Creative Writing
Current and past community partners:
- Providence Rotaries
- Providence Village
- Laurelmead Living Cooperative
- Hamilton House
- Ocean State Public Libraries
School One's Intergenerational Arts Program is made possible in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Support also comes from Hamilton House and Providence Rotaries.
