What I Learned in a Year of Writing “Museums and Creative Aging: A Healthful Partnership”

The creative aging movement is coming of age, and just in the nick of time. As of last year, 80 percent of state arts agencies across the United States reported a high or very high demand for creative aging programs in their state, which …

Museums and Creative Aging: A Healthful Partnership

This landmark report commissioned by the American Alliance of Museums and written by Marjorie Schwarzer is a call to action for museums to change the narrative about what it means to grow old in America. Opening with an overview of aging …

Seasons of Growth: Creative Aging on Display at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center

In October 2020, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, opened the gallery exhibition Art Links Sheboygan: Seasons of Growth, the culmination of a new program to promote creative aging. The program, Art Links …

Viva La Vida: Creative Aging at the National Museum of Mexican Art

Like many of the museums that have discussed their creative aging work for our “Museums and Aging” series, the National Museum of Mexican Art participates in Seeding Vitality Arts, an initiative to create sequential …

The Benefits and Challenges of Producing Creative Aging Programs for the LGBTQIA+ Community

Since 2018, AAM has partnered with Aroha Philanthropies to highlight and support museums that are developing programs for older adults, and to encourage others to do the same. The aim has been to address the epidemic of ageism, both within …

Rebuilding Pathways: How DEAI and Creative Aging Intersect at the Speed Art Museum

As museums work to become more diverse, equitable, accessible, and inclusive, one community is often left out of the discourse: people over the age of fifty-five. This may be because they already appear to be well-represented. After all, …

Giving Back: Three Model Practices for Sustaining Older Volunteers during COVID-19

As cases of COVID-19 spike across the country, resulting in more museums suspending operations, what are the implications for older docents and volunteers, especially in regard to ageism and creative aging? In part one of this two-part …

Giving Back: Museums and Older Volunteers during COVID-19

As cases of COVID-19 spike across the country, resulting in more museums suspending operations, what are the implications for older docents and volunteers, especially in regard to ageism and creative aging? In part one of this two-part …

Register now for Perspectives on Legacy Creative Aging Virtual Conference

The Alliance’s work on museums and creative aging, supported by Aroha Philanthropies, focuses on “healthy aging”—how museums can foster curiosity, growth, and social connections among people “fifty-five and better.”  While outside the …

Bridging Isolation: The Anchorage Museum’s Virtual Movement Workshops for Older Adults during COVID-19

On a Tuesday morning in July, older adults from across Southcentral Alaska danced to feel-good songs, including Bobby Darin’s “Splish Splash” and Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move,” from the comfort of their homes and …

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American Alliance of Museums and Coalition Partners File Amicus Brief to Protect IMLS from Unlawful Dismantling

Category: Press Release
For Immediate Release Rhode Island–Today, after months of coordinated preparation, …

ISO Your Proposals for AAM 2026

Category: Center for the Future of Museums Blog
Signal boosting the current call for proposals for AAM 2026. I almost typed 2206 there, …

Upvote Museum Sessions for SxSW 2026!

Category: Center for the Future of Museums Blog
The SxSW Innovation conference describes itself as “an opportunity for the global …

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