2025: A Year of Creativity, Connection, and Continued Impact
In 2025, Opening Minds through Art (OMA) cultivated a year of creativity, connection, and continued impact. Across programs, partnerships, and places near and far, our work remained rooted in OMA’s core mission: affirming personhood through meaningful artistic expression.
Awards and Recognitions
OMA’s Founder, Dr. Elizabeth “Like” Lokon, was honored with the Rev. Dr. Kenneth V. Daniel Contribution to Abundant Aging Award from United Church Homes at the Center for Abundant Aging Symposium in October. Like was the first-ever recipient of this inaugural award and was deeply honored to receive this meaningful recognition.
Additionally, the article “The Transformative Power of Participating in Opening Minds Through Art (OMA), an Expressive Arts Program for Medical Students,” authored by Dr. Cheryl Dellasega, Dr. Daniel George, and Dr. Elizabeth “Like” Lokon, was selected as the recipient of the 2025 David A. Peterson Award. The award, instituted by the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) in conjunction with Taylor & Francis, recognizes the best article published in Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, the official journal of AGHE.
Both our OMA and ScrippsAVID programs proudly maintain their status as Programs of Distinction through Generations United. This designation recognizes intergenerational programs that demonstrate the highest standards of innovation, leadership, and sustainability, while exemplifying best practices in connecting younger and older generations and achieving meaningful, measurable outcomes.
We’re honored to share that Practical Neurology featured the work of OMA artist Jean from Arizona on the cover of their August 2025 issue, which focused on neuropsychiatry. Congratulations to Jean on this recognition! You can read Jean’s bio here.
Virtual Community with ScrippsAVID
Our virtual program, ScrippsAVID, continued to grow in 2025, expanding access to meaningful art engagement for individuals and care partners across geographic boundaries. This growth was supported by funding from RRF Foundation for Aging and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). In total, 117 ScrippsAVID matches participated this year, reflecting the increasing demand for creative, person-centered virtual experiences.
“During our conversations, your positivity is contagious. You have such an ability to lift my spirits, leaving me feeling happier and more inspired every time we finish talking.” – Excerpt from a ScrippsAVID student’s letter to their older adult match living with dementia
Conferences, Travel, and Sharing OMA
The OMA team attended 17 conferences and events in 2025, sharing our model and learning alongside colleagues in aging, arts, and service. Highlights included:
- Two episodes of United Church Home’s Abundant Aging Podcast featuring Like Lokon and OMA’s Director Dr. Amy Elliot
- NYLC, where we facilitated a Day of Service activity for 100 participants
- Gerontological Society of America, a collaborative workshop with Florida State University and Midwestern University on OMA in university settings
- Ohio Arts Council’s Creative Aging Summit, showcasing OMA to artists and program leaders from around the state
Additional conferences and speaking engagements included the Southern Gerontological Society, Ohio Association of Gerontology and Education (OAGE), American Society on Aging’s OnAging Conference, Generations United, Grandparents College at Miami University, and Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD).
Connect and Create: Art in Community
For the second year, Connect and Create reached new heights. At OAGE, participants collaborated on a large-scale piece using paint, stencils, and collage materials to showcase shared experiences and creativity.
OMA was also invited by the Ohio Department of Aging to participate in the Healthy Aging Expo at the Ohio State Fair. Inspired by Yayoi Kusama’s Obliteration Room, over 1,100 participants covered white space with colorful stickers. Many shared that they placed their stickers in honor or memory of friends and loved ones which transformed the installation into a collective expression of connection and remembrance.
Highlights from Facilitator Training
In 2025, 64 new facilitators completed OMA training, strengthening our capacity to bring meaningful, person-centered art experiences to more communities. Training offerings included an in-person session hosted by our partners at Art for the Journey, as well as multiple online training sessions led by Harper Marten of The Arts of Aging, whose expertise enriched the learning experience. We are deeply grateful for these partnerships, which continue to support high-quality training and ensure facilitators are well prepared to honor the creativity and personhood of individuals living with dementia.
Over the course of the year, the OMA team hosted five virtual playtime sessions, engaging facilitators in art-making and providing them with ongoing skills and strategies to support the individuals they serve.
Expanding our Global Reach
This year brought exciting global collaborations. Our partners in Indonesia continued their impactful work at the Center for the Study of Sustainable Community (CSSC), where OMA is part of their curriculum and used in various community settings. Read more in their Impact Report.
We expanded to a new continent, training three individuals from Australia, leading to a launch at Community Home Australia’s Club Kalina.
Well, I think that the OMA training was absolutely amazing, because I realized (and I’m talking about the artists) they can do amazing things. It’s like they can be so creative. And you cannot realize it until you see the art. – Karen V., Facilitator at Club Kalina
Additionally, Associate Director Krysta Peterson participated in a weeklong field experience in Okinawa, Japan. During the trip she led an OMA-inspired art session with 25 older adults, 6 university volunteers, and family members at a long-term care community. She also distributed over 200 OMA art cards, sparking cross-cultural connection, participated in a homestay, and interviewed Dr. Makoto Suzuki, a 92-year-old practicing cardiologist and principal investigator of the Okinawa Centenarian Study. The experience continues to shape how she views creativity, care, and community, while also informing OMA’s program development and global partnerships.
Piloting OMA At-Home
Our OMA At-Home pilot initiative with Hilarity for Charity (HFC) was a great success. We shipped 153 kits to 136 participants, expanding access to meaningful art engagement for individuals living with dementia at home.
Over six virtual sessions, care partners and the person living with dementia came together to explore creative processes, strengthen relationships, and share moments of connection through guided, person-centered art-making. The At-Home program reinforced our belief that creativity and affirmation of personhood can thrive beyond institutional settings, offering families tools to create connection, joy, and purpose in their own homes.
Third Annual Virtual Art Show
Our Virtual Art Show on December 11, 2025 showcased 120 submissions and celebrated artists with 20 awards, highlighting creativity across the globe. Congratulations to our featured artists and award winners!
Continued Success at Miami University
OMA programming continued at Miami University, strengthening campus-community connections through intergenerational art engagement. In collaboration with The Knolls of Oxford and the Oxford Senior Center, college students and older adults came together for creative sessions grounded in affirmation of personhood and relationship-building. During the year, over 65 participated in the program, reinforcing the importance of building our local intergenerational community.
As we begin 2026, we are deeply grateful for the partnerships, opportunities, and people who make this work possible. Here’s to #MoreOMA!
