Posts
Museums and Aging
Fighting ageism and promoting lifelong learning and creativity.
Taking Account
It’s natural that people tend to “take account” of their lives as they get older. They become interested in reviewing where they and their ancestors have been, and pay increased attention …
The Intergenerational Museum
“I consider that [the old] have gone before us along a road we must all travel in our turn, and it is good that we should ask them of the nature of that road.” –Socrates, The Republic …
You’re Doing What?!: Becoming “The Founder”
Museum professionals have creative aging journeys of their own, which might mean figuring out how best to cap off a career in the field. But in today’s world, with more people …
Creative Aging and Social Prescribing
“You’re doing what?!” This is often the response one gets when they say they are involved in the field of creative aging. I am asked it a lot, from people who want to know what on earth …
Praise Be to AARP
One of the many benefits of advanced age is that one can become a member of AARP, the American Association of Retired Persons. But despite the name, the word “retired” seems to be losing …
Mystic Chords of Memory: Writing workshops as museum creative aging programs
Nearly a career ago, I visited a mentor and friend at the historical society he directed on a Saturday afternoon. As we sat in his office chatting, I heard a phone ring in the society’s …
You’re Doing What?!: A rebel performance artist goes through his mid-life crisis
Yes, even performance artists grow old! Here is an insightful look into the heart of one of America’s most dynamic contemporary artists, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, as he hits the ripe old age of …
Getting Through to Creative Agers
As we develop creative aging programs for museums, it behooves us to think about how to make our efforts as engaging for the audience as possible. Doing this successfully requires a …
You’re Doing What?!: The Cañada Alamosa Project, we called it
Dennis O’Toole has held leadership roles in museums throughout his career, as well as been a prominent force in the American Association for State and Local History. His column below is the …
Creative Agers Throughout History
I’ve recommended Gene D. Cohen’s book The Creative Age any number of times in these Ad Summa blogs, and one of the elements that makes the book so memorable is the continuing list in the …
The Unexpected Joys of Launching a Creative Aging Program
In 2018, 20 organizations enrolled in a special museum cohort of Aroha Philanthropies’ Seeding Vitality Arts program. With funding from Aroha, and training provided by Lifetime Arts, these …
The Power of a Story Well Told
We all know the power of a story well told. One example: the books that became the Odyssey and the Iliad were told orally long before they appeared in book form. Imagine—so powerfully …