Dive Into Your Creative Side!
Explore personal interests and talents in the arts to enhance wellness, fine motor skills, creativity, and art appreciation.
Learn a new skill and meet new friends as you dive into tuition-free classes in painting, needlecraft, quilting, and more! Explore one of the Senior Chorus or Tone Chime classes to gain more appreciation of the fine arts with year-round performance opportunities. Ready to get started? Find a class near you!
Creative Arts Course Offerings
Painting and Ceramics →
Beginner? More advanced? All experience levels welcome! Join a Painting for Older Adults class which includes basics in drawing and color mixing or give the more intricate China Painting for Older Adults a try. Instructors cover all the basics in Ceramics; students will learn mold selection, glazing, decorating techniques, and proper firing procedures.
Quilting and Needlework →
NOCE offers a myriad of needle arts courses. From crochet, to knitting, to cross-stitch, and quilting, the Emeritus Program has the right class for you. Learn the history of the craft as well as tool and method selection. A wide variety of items are created by older adult students including decorations for the home and clothing for babies, children, and adults.
Music Performing Groups →
NOCE’s Senior Chorus and Tone Chime Choir introduce students to a broad spectrum of music, including its cultural and historical aspects. Chorus students will gain knowledge of choral mechanics, while Tone Chime students will learn handbell performance skills using chime instruments made by Suzuki. Both groups perform throughout the year in North Orange County, sharing joy through music.
Intergenerational Creative Arts Exchange →
Older adults, along with participants of multiple generations, create artistic legacy keepsakes that reflect the individual histories of older adults, lifetime memories, and personal creative expression. Class projects are designed to encourage connections among generations.
Creative Arts and Music Arts for Older Adults →
NOCE Emeritus partners with community centers, senior centers, and older adult residential facilities to offer creative arts and music arts courses where students can engage in discussion, hands-on activities with a variety of art methods, and musical activities with fellow students!
As part of my Emeritus Program Creative Arts class, I completed a three by four-foot canvas that sold at the Westview Art Show in Santa Ana. Now, I am working on creating hand-crafted weavings. I have been able to overcome obstacles, but I have been able to work joyfully and diligently to improve my art skills. Lua Nguyen
Emeritus Program Student
