Smartphone photography, other ‘Creative’ programs available for those 55 and older

Maybe I’m an odd duck, but one of the things I miss about childhood is school. I love to learn, especially topics I’m passionate about. And I don’t know about you, but adult life really puts a damper on living! Who has time to learn how to paint or play an instrument when every moment of the day is booked? I’m looking forward to retirement one day and getting back into the classroom.

Lucky for all of us eager to learn after retirement, Wayne County Public Library just started a new initiative called Creative Aging. Over the next year, we are offering five different eight-week courses for people in our community 55 and older. Currently, I am teaching the Choral Connections class at Steele Memorial Library. Every week, we work on singing techniques and style while we prepare songs we will perform for an audience on Monday, November 6 here at the library. We also spend time each week listening to different versions of songs and sharing our thoughts about music in our lives.

But if music isn’t your passion, that’s OK! Starting Oct. 17, local photographer Casey Mozingo will be teaching a class about smartphone photography at the Goldsboro Library – registration opens Oct. 2 at wcpl.org. And in 2024, we will offer courses in flower arranging, acrylic painting, and memoir writing. All these courses will culminate in an exhibit or presentation of what was learned. Our goal is not only to provide a learning experience for an often-neglected part of our community, but also to provide them with outlets for social engagement.

The first five courses in the Creative Aging program are based on feedback we received from the community via surveys distributed by the Arts Council of Wayne County and the library. Please let us know if you have any suggestions for courses that spark your interest; we are researching ways to sustain the program beyond the grant funded period.

This project is made possible by funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (IMLS grant number LS-253645-OLS-23).

Please call us at 919-299-8105, extension 5353 with any questions about Creative Aging and the Choral Connections performance, and as always, check out our website, wcpl.org, for more details about events happening at all the Wayne County Public Library branches.