Training program enhances AHCA Activity Director Certification course to strengthen arts-based engagement in long-term care member facilities statewide
BENTONVILLE, Ark. & LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Arkansas Health Care Association (AHCA) are proud to announce a strategic statewide partnership that will expand access to high-quality creative aging programs across AHCA member facilities.
Through this collaboration, Crystal Bridges will embed its evidence-based creative aging curriculum into AHCA’s Activity Director Certification Course. The enhanced training will equip Activity Directors with practical, adaptable tools to lead meaningful artmaking experiences for residents living with dementia, chronic illness, disability, sensory impairment, and limited dexterity.
“Our Activity Director Certification program prepares professionals to design and lead engaging, person-centered programming for residents,” said Rachel Bunch, executive director of AHCA. “By partnering with Crystal Bridges, we are strengthening that foundation with research-based creative practices that support connection, dignity, and quality of life. We are committed to advancing innovative approaches that enhance care for our state’s aging parents and grandparents.”
Representing more than 90% of Arkansas’s licensed long-term care facilities, AHCA provides an unprecedented platform to bring arts-based engagement to communities statewide – including rural and underserved areas where access to cultural programming is often limited. This marks the first statewide expansion of Crystal Bridges’ Creative Aging model following its successful pilot phase.
This year, approximately 90 Activity Directors from AHCA member facilities will participate in the enhanced certification course. As part of the training, participants will engage in a one-day immersive workshop led by Crystal Bridges Vitality Arts-trained teaching artists and receive implementation resources to support ongoing programming within their facilities.
“Creative expression is not an indulgence. It is essential to human well-being,” said Prentis Grayson, director of community partnerships at Crystal Bridges. “We have seen firsthand how hands-on artmaking fosters social connection, stimulates memory, and creates moments of joy for older adults. Partnering with AHCA allows us to equip Activity Directors with the confidence, skills, and resources to bring these experiences into care communities across the state.”
The partnership builds on growing global evidence highlighting the role of the arts in supporting health and well-being. A comprehensive review conducted by the World Health Organization identified more than 3,000 studies demonstrating that arts engagement can contribute to the prevention of poor health and reduce the risk of mental illness.
The first hands-on workshop under the new partnership is scheduled for March 13 in Little Rock and will include Activity Directors representing 18 Arkansas communities.
Photos are from Crystal Bridges’ Creative Aging pilot program.
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About Arkansas Health Care Association
Established in 1951, the Arkansas Health Care Association (AHCA) is the state’s largest organization of long-term care providers, representing more than 90 percent of the licensed long-term care facilities in Arkansas. Its responsibilities are to educate, inform, and represent members and member facilities before government agencies, other trade associations and related industries. Learn more at ARHealthCare.com.
About Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. Since opening in 2011, the museum has welcomed more than 15 million visitors across its spaces, with no cost for admission. Crystal Bridges was founded in 2005 as a public 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization by philanthropist Alice Walton. The collection spans five centuries of American masterworks from early American to current day and is enhanced by temporary exhibitions.
The museum is nestled on 134 acres of Ozark landscape and was designed by the world-renowned Safdie Architects. A rare Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house was preserved and relocated to the museum grounds in 2015. Crystal Bridges offers public programs including lectures, performances, classes, and teacher development opportunities, and is the home of the prestigious Don Tyson Prize for the Advancement of American Art and Tyson Scholars of American Art Program. Some 558,375 school children have participated in the Willard and Pat Walker School Visit program, which provides educational experiences for school groups at no cost to the schools.
Additional museum amenities include a restaurant, gift store, library, and five miles of art and walking trails. In February 2020, the museum opened the Momentary in Downtown Bentonville (507 SE E Street), a venue for the music, art, and food of our time. Crystal Bridges’ 114,000 square foot expansion will open to the public June 6 and 7, 2026, allowing the museum to expand access for all. For more information, visit CrystalBridges.org. The museum is located at 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712.
Media Contact
media@crystalbridges.org