Creative Aging: Ephemeral Art of Kolam at Battery Park City Library
Mon, May 18 · 2:00 PM
NYPL Battery Park City Branch · Battery Park City
Explore your artistic potential with Creative Aging, a series of art workshops for adults 50 and older. This program will be held in person at Battery Park City Library on Mondays from 2 PM to 3:30 PM. In this immersive art program, participants journey into the art of seeing, sensing, and making through the timeless Indian practice of Kolam—the ephemeral art of drawing with dots, lines, and rice flour. Once created daily at thresholds of South Indian homes, Kolam patterns are gestures of welcome, mindfulness, and beauty — now reimagined here as a lens to explore creative thinking, geometry, and the poetry of impermanence. Through guided exercises in observation, pattern-making, and experimentation, participants will uncover how simple dots and lines can become powerful tools for perception and expression. Each session gently expands the idea of pattern—from ritual practice to modern abstraction, from hand to mind, from precision to play. The program invites older adults to rediscover flow, curiosity, and embodied creativity in a calm, social, and reflective environment. No prior art experience is necessary—just a willingness to draw, connect, and explore. Full calendar: 4/6/26 at 2 PM 4/13/26 at 2 PM 4/20/26 at 2 PM 4/27/26 at 2 PM 5/4/26 at 2 PM 5/11/26 at 2 PM 5/18/26 at 2 PM This program is built as a progressive journey, attendance at all sessions is recommended. Register ahead of the first session for all events, please call (212) 790-3499 if you are unable to make a session. If you are unable to make a majority of the events, or become interested after the start of the series, call to inquire about drop-in availability. Registration is encouraged, but not required. Walkups will be permitted as space accommodates. About The Artist Ms. Jayanthi Moorthy is a New York–based visual artist and educator who immigrated to the US from India in 2004. She has exhibited widely in the US and India, completing five solo exhibitions and participating in over twenty group shows. As a curator, she has organized exhibitions at John Jay College, NY, and the Kochi Muziris Biennale, India.Committed to cultural storytelling and arts-based education, Ms. Moorthy launched Akṣarā ( www.aksara.us ) in 2021—an initiative dedicated to designing meaningful cultural programs that engage diverse communities through the arts. Her innovative work has been recognized with grants from the New York State Council on the Arts (2022), and she has been a SUCASA grantee (2023, 2025), developing creative programs for senior centers across Manhattan. Ms. Moorthy’s practice bridges visual arts, cultural education, and instructional design, creating experiences that connect tradition, creativity, and community. About Creative Aging Creative Aging is a series of free art classes for adults 50 and older. This year, in person programs are available from branches throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Come discover a new art medium or deepen your skills in a practice you’ve explored before! Visit nypl.org/creativeaging for a full list of programs.
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