TUESDAY TRIBUTE HONORS PAT A. SMITH
Creative 360’s first event of the 2020 Yes We Can! season is a Tuesday Tribute honoring Pat A. Smith (88). Smith, an artist, educator, and flower arranger extraordinaire, on Tuesday, February 4, 1:00-2:30 p.m. Guests will enjoy lively conversation, tea and treats created by Creative 360’s Express Yourself Artshop cooking class! Admission is $5. Call 989-837-1885 or register to attend on Creative 360’s website at becreative360.org.
Pat has many interests that include leading aerobics classes, calligraphy, quilting, beading, gardening and flower arranging – for which she is well-known. Through these interests she has made a variety friends and they are the reason behind many of her travels including the Philadelphia Flower Show she attended just last year!
Pat grew up in Elkhart, Indiana, known at the time as the band instrument capital of the world, was married for 63 years, has two children and three grandchildren. She served as a substitute teacher in the Midland Public Schools for 20 years.
Creative 360’s Tuesday Tributes are part of the non-profit’s Yes We Can! program that honors Great Lakes Bay Region artists, scholars, scientists and community leaders who are 80 and above. This year’s program honors more than 46 seniors in 21 events taking place through May 15. Events include an art exhibition February 21 through March 22, seven Tuesday Tributes, twelve Luncheon Soirees and a concert.
Tuesday Tributes offer an opportunity to draw inspiration from the insights of fascinating octogenarians as they share stories about their lives, creative process, and their adventures. Most tributes are led by Interim Executive Director Carol Speltz. Remaining Tuesday Tributes include:
Mar 3: George Saito (80), Veteran, Community Leader
Mar 10: Betty Van Ochten (87), Writer, Poet, Volunteer
Mar 31: Clara Spannagel Hancock, Author, Business Woman, Volunteer
Apr 7: Jerry King (82), Artist, Community Leader, Volunteer
Apr 14: Larry Lage (94), Educator, World War II Marine Veteran, Volunteer
Apr 21: Virginia Florey & Leona Seamster, “The Wonder Years – Growing Up in Midland”
About Yes We Can!
Seven years ago, Creative 360 developed an innovative program designed to recognize and honor the contributions of people who are 80 and over in a way that respects their knowledge and taps into their legacy of creativity. This amazing segment of our population has a wealth of experience and knowledge to share. The Yes We Can! program gives people of all ages ongoing opportunities to engage with, and learn from, this dynamic group of senior presenters.
Since the program began in the winter of 2014, Creative 360 has celebrated more than 350 Great Lakes Bay artists, scholars, scientists, and community leaders. These octogenarians inspire everyone to be more active and to realize we can all be contributing community members at any age!
Thanks to Garber Automotive, Gavin and Associates, Janet Martineau, Northwood University’s NADA Hotel and Conference Center, and Space Studios for sponsoring this year’s program. For more information about Yes We Can!, go to Creative 360’s website at becreative360.org or call 989-837-1885.
If you know of someone who is (or soon will be) 80 or above and should be considered as part of future Yes We Can! programs, please contact Creative 360 at 989-837-1885 or by email at creed@becreative360.org.
About Creative 360
Creative 360 is celebrating 25 years as a not-for-profit community arts and wellness organization. 25 years ago, Cynthia Keefe and Linda Z. Smith founded “The Creative Spirit Center” with a vision to make creativity accessible to all. Since then, the nonprofit has become Creative 360 and welcomed countless people through its doors to express, expand and experience the creative process in all its forms. Creative 360’s mission is to create environments that allow people of all ages and abilities to experience the creative process, and to enhance physical, mental and spiritual wellness through the arts and humanities. The organization’s core values of inclusiveness, creativity, respect and community drive the culture at Creative 360. Activities at Creative 360 are supported in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, Midland Area Community Foundation and the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation.
