GLADSTONE — Last week, an art show and reception took place at the Mid-Continent Public Library’s Antioch branch, 6060 N. Chestnut Ave., Gladstone, for participants of a new grant-funded workshop series called Creative Aging.

Starting in October, the library offered an eight-week cumulative drawing course for local residents ages 55 and older as part of a grant-funded initiative that was launched to support lifelong learning among seniors and combat loneliness, according to a library press release.

“The goal of this series is to empower our older customers by helping them build skills they can use to foster healthy aging,” said Beth Loecke, MCPL adult programming librarian. “The workshops are a fun and engaging way for seniors to tap into their creativity and showcase their talents. The pieces included in the art show reception are quite impressive and we encourage the community come see and celebrate these artists.”

During the eight-week series at MCPL’s Antioch Branch, 20 adults learned various drawing techniques, including shading, blending and perspective, led by Linda Nickell, an artist who has displayed her work in galleries around the Kansas City metro area. Nickell is also an art educator and previously served as the manager of school programs at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

MCPL will offer five more rounds of the Creative Aging series in 2025 — one in Lee’s Summit through a partnership with John Knox Village, three in the Northland including Northern Platte County and Kearney and another Eastern Jackson County. The programs are free to attend, but require registration. More information about the series, including how to register and which MCPL branches will offer the classes, will be updated on the library’s website at mymcpl.org/events in the coming months.