Research confirms a direct correlation between creative expression and healthy aging. Yet, despite the growing recognition that creativity matters, older adults lack ready access to the arts. The proposed National Summit Conference on Arts and Aging will bring together the leading organizations and professional community-based artists from across the country to address these problems and identify steps to their solutions. Following a gala opening, the conference will break out into workshops designed along two tracks. An accessibility track will explore how to ensure that older people have access to the arts as audiences and consumers. A best practices track will focus on how to ensure and enhance the quality of the programs that engage elders as participants. Workshops will be organized by artistic medium, including visual arts, movement/dance, theater/storytelling, writing/literature, music, folk arts, and multidisciplinary. Findings from the conference will be disseminated to artists and arts organizations after the conference through a summit conference report and best practices guide. [Description from Animating Democracy E-news, August 2006]