On his 50th birthday, Stewart Stewart received an invitation to be a member of AARP. “Hard to believe that I’m now a Senior Citizen!” he exclaimed. “I don’t feel like one.” Of course, he wasn’t one yet, Senior citizens are typically defined as those aged 65 and older. But it got us thinking. What DOES it feel like to Grow Older?
As lead artists for Center for Folk and Community Art (“CFCA”), we decided to find out. We did an intergenerational Art project . . . What It Feels Like to Grow Older. It took on a life of its own.
This Telling Stories Through Visuals project was a collaboration of senior citizens and youngsters ages 10-13. Designed to bridge the generation gap, the children were first put through sensitivity training exercises. They walked around with beans in their shoes to understand what it felt like to have corns, bunions, and tired feet. Vaseline on eyeglasses demonstrated what it feels like to have cataracts or glaucoma. Cotton in the ears gave them an idea of the affects hearing loss has. Blindfolded and spoon-fed apple sauce showed them the indignity of not having control.
Then, we brought the children and senior citizens together. The senior citizens told stories about their lives and the youngsters helped them draw pictures to illustrate their memories. The stories and artwork were mounted on door panels that were hinged together in pairs so that they were self-standing and movable. This 48-foot mural was unveiled during a White House Conference on Aging.
What it Feels Like To Grow Older, a Center for Folk and Community Art project was produced with the support of Florida Department of Elder Affairs, The Alliance for Aging and WLRN-PBS Miami. A video documentary of this project, produced by WLRN-TV (PBS) – distributed nationwide – was used as a training film by the Chicago Department of Health. (For uploading purpose, the Documentary is shown in three parts). The project was debuted at a White House Conference on Aging in Washington, D.C.
Now, thirty years later, CFCA is producing
WHY?
How has aging changed during the past 30+ years?
PLEASE WATCH
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO GROW OLDER – PART II – TRAILER
For the first time in many years, like many small nonprofits, CFCA has been impacted by State and local budget cuts. Therefore, we are reaching out to you to be a Financial Sponsor and Partner in this project.
Being part of this community project is an opportunity for you to be recognized as a good corporate citizen.
Center for Folk and Community Art is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
Thank you.
A small sample of the Media coverage “What It Feels Like To Grow Older” received:
