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Today’s elder professional artists were the ground-breaking game-changers on the cultural scene 40, 50, and 60 years ago. Today, they are still breaking new ground.

CSARN [the Canadian Senior Artists Resource Network] exists to support them in their life work to make this a better, more culturally rich country in which to live. What makes them unique is their desire to keep creating, to continue developing the skills and talents they have spent a lifetime refining, and to continue using their art to challenge our perceptions of the world in which we live.

And we, as a country, can all benefit from this.

Current News & Happenings

CSARN Welcomes New Board Member:
CSARN is pleased to welcome Keith Martin Gordey to our Board of Directors. To find out more about Keith and our other gifted board members, click here.

Canadian Heritage Wants to Hear from Artists:
The Department of Canadian Heritage wants to hear from artists about how the pandemic has impacted their livelihood. You can fill in the survey until June 18th by clicking here.

Nominate a Visionary Artist:
CSARN is accepting nominations for our third annual Visionary Artist Lifetime Award.

Information and a nomination form can be found by clicking here.

CSARN Announces Fall 2021 Conference:
CSARN is thrilled to announce that our annual conference, Maintaining Creativity 6, will be presented online this fall. MC6 will take place over three successive Mondays. Each chapter will start at 1:30 PM Eastern time and last approximately two hours. Thanks to funding from the federal New Horizons for Seniors program, the conference will be free of charge. Details are still developing, but save these dates: October 18th, 25th, and November 1st, 2021.

Find out more about our conferences here.

Join the OnSalons:
CSARN is offering online versions of our CSARN Salons, online meetings where you can talk to other artists from across the country. It’s an opportunity to exchange news and [re-]gain that sense of community we’re all lacking right now. We hold the OnSalons every two or three weeks. Click here to find out more and register.

COVID-19 Resources:
If you need information on dealing with the coronavirus, CSARN offers a free hotline service called HealthCare Assist & Connect. In addition, our FYI page has links to provincial and federal websites as well as other resources. And check out our Facebook Page where we are sharing some of the ways artists, and people in general, are handling the pandemic.

Get information on the Coronavirus and links to provincial and territorial health sites by clicking the button below.

We have links to various services and programs offered by the Government of Canada, including a calculator that will help you determine what benefits you may be entitled to.

The Government of Ontario provides reductions in hydro bills for low income households. Find out more by clicking the button below.

The Distinguished Artists Who Advise CSARN

Honorary Board Member
Gordon Pinsent

Advisory Council
Peggy Baker • Laurie Brown • Max Dean
Rita Shelton Deverell • Douglas Gibson
Martha Henry • Brenda Hoffert • Paul Hoffert
Sheila McCarthy • R.H.Thomson

In our Community's own words . . .

As is often the case, artists and the arts are ‘scouts’ – moving forward into cultural and social areas of exploration in significant ways that over time have broad societal resonance. CSARN is a focal point for awareness and support of activity by senior artists – with possible long-term implications as a model for seniors in other communities and areas of life.

The caliber of collective knowledge is superb. CSARN is an amazing resource.

CSARN is demonstrating its value as a national forum for senior artists from all parts of Canada.

CSARN provides and reinforces a sense of artistic connection and prevents a sense of isolation. It’s a vehicle for education, both sharing and seeking. A wonderful resource.

CSARN is becoming an essential hub for senior artists of all stripes. Through an inventive strategy of conferences, workshops, referrals, newsletters, social media links, mentorships and an openness to other opportunities for outreach it can become a pivotal PASO (provincial arts service organisation) for 'artists in their prime.'

CSARN is a wonderful resource and source of support and nurturing for senior artists in all disciplines. Their workshops and conferences offer valuable information and contacts while helping us to develop much needed skills in what is an increasingly complicated technical world. They also offer practical advice and solutions to many obstacles that we face as we age.