Creative Aging

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 …
Creative Agers Throughout History

By Bill Tramposch

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 margins of significant cultural contributions older …
The Unexpected Joys of Launching a Creative Aging Program

By Elizabeth Merritt

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 museums are developing high quality, intensive …
The Power of a Story Well Told

By Bill Tramposch

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 memorable were those tales that even in their great …
Get Out of Town: Travel programs for creative agers

By Bill Tramposch

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” – Mark Twain An increasing number of museums are introducing travel options to their members. Such …
Sofa So Good: A word on behalf of older folks

By Bill Tramposch

I don’t know about you, but a career in museums has made it very difficult for me to be a satisfied museum visitor. I find that I am always peering into “how the sausage is made,” as it were, noticing how the front-of-house staff interact …
What Can a “Manifesto Against Ageism” Teach Museums?

By Bill Tramposch

Prior to the publication of Ashton Applewhite’s “manifesto against ageism,” This Chair Rocks, one reviewer proclaimed that the book would do for our society’s view of aging what Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring did for the environment. Before …
Creative Aging Reading List, Part Two: But wait, there’s more!

By Bill Tramposch

As the Aroha Fellowship for Museums and Creative Aging progresses, one of the delights is receiving notes from blog readers. A number of colleagues have sent further reading ideas for my list, and I am particularly grateful for the …