barb calkins
Barb’s artistic approach is Intuitive & Eclectic Artistry, making assemblage, collage and art of all kinds with vintage, repurposed, and reimagine materials. Found objects take many forms — wood, photos, fabric, vintage costume jewelry, objects from nature, metal bits from lamps, mechanical equipment, even the serrated cutting edge from a box of kitchen foil, coming together as a story in art. Look at the collection of objects that come your way and find the story.
Trained in techniques for meditative and expressive art in therapeutic settings, Barb is a lifelong artist and learner. In service to her community, she created, sewed and distributed over 500 CDC-compliant face masks for friends, health care workers and first responders at the beginning of the COVID epidemic, using materials that reflected aspects of personal identity of the wearer. She holds a Master of Arts in Women’s Studies from The George Washington University, a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Delaware.
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Creative Aging
Barb is an alumna of the Creative Aging Teaching Foundations for Artists Program. Arts engagement has proven to be a powerful tool in helping adults aged 55+ to thrive and learn new skills in a supportive and social environment, and is an effective antidote to isolation. The Creative Aging Teaching Foundations for Artists Program is a comprehensive teaching education program for Delaware-based teaching artists, who provide direct programming to older adult audiences, and cultivate new creative aging partnerships in the community.
The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is committed to supporting the arts and cultivating creativity to enhance the quality of life in Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life.
The Delaware Division of the Arts’ Access Creative Aging Initiative is made possible through the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies’ States Leading Creative Aging Initiative. In partnership with the Delaware Division of Libraries, the initiative is designed to provide Delaware's older population with opportunities for artistic expression, social interaction, and enhanced mental and physical health through meaningful engagement in the arts.
Founded in 2008, Lifetime Arts is a nonprofit arts service organization that offers a positive, modern, artistic and social lens through which to serve, inspire and engage America’s growing population of older adults. Their mission is to: Encourage creative aging by promoting the inclusion of professional arts programs in organizations that serve older adults; Prepare artists to develop the creative capacity of older adult learners, and; Foster lifelong learning in and through the arts by increasing opportunities for participation in community based programming.