Arts + Aging Professional, Writer, Creative Aging Practitioner

My name is Samantha Oleschuk (she/her). I’m an arts and aging professional, writer, and creative aging practitioner based in western North Carolina. With a passion for creativity and community, my work centers on creating and supporting accessible, inclusive programs and services for lifelong learning and engagement. Valuing accessiblity, dignity, curiosity, and joy, I focus on building collaborative interdisciplinary infrastructures, crafting intergenerational experiences, and creating spaces where meaningful, community-driven work can thrive.

I currently work for the High Country County on Governments as the Area Agency on Aging's Aging Services Coordinator for Compliance and Administration. I moonlight as the Editor-in-Chief of the Cultural Voice of North Carolina (CVNC) and pursue freelance writing and projects in art criticism, creative aging, and exhibitions.

I most recently served in a co-leadership role as Co-Director at Florence Thomas Art School in West Jefferson, NC, where I developed and led the SPARK Creative Aging Program.

I hold a B.A. in Art and Visual Culture with a concentration in Art Management and minors in Nonprofit Organizations and French and Francophone Studies from Appalachian State University. My honors thesis focused on creative aging programs for older adults, and this research led to the development of a storytelling resource designed to advocate for creative aging and build cross-sector support for its future.