Museums and Aging

Fighting ageism and promoting lifelong learning and creativity.

The Stages of Aging

By Gretchen Jennings

Senior…Elder…Older American…Aging Boomer…Octogenarian…Centenarian Have you ever thought about how many decades are contained in these references we make to old age? There are almost fifty years between becoming eligible for an AARP card …
Taking Account

By Bill Tramposch

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 to matters of legacy, especially pertaining to …
The Intergenerational Museum

By Bill Tramposch

“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 In an article called “Aging and Learning: The …
You’re Doing What?!: Becoming “The Founder”

By Elizabeth Williams

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 enjoying active and engaged lifestyles later into life, …
Creative Aging and Social Prescribing

By Bill Tramposch

“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 “creative aging” even is. When I begin to describe it …
Praise Be to AARP

By Bill Tramposch

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 its applicability, if one reads any of AARP’s …
Mystic Chords of Memory: Writing workshops as museum creative aging programs

By Bill Tramposch

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 library a long way down a cavernous hall. It rang and …
You’re Doing What?!: A rebel performance artist goes through his mid-life crisis

By Guillermo Gómez-Peña

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 sixty-three! (Note: I happen to have the …
Getting Through to Creative Agers

By Bill Tramposch

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 heightened sensitivity to the needs and interests of …
You’re Doing What?!: The Cañada Alamosa Project, we called it

By Dennis O'Toole

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 first in a series of blogs I am calling, “You’re …