Strolling through a geezer gallery of artistic pursuits
Probably four years ago, Sue and I made our first visit to long-time friends in their new home, a retirement community in Lake Oswego, OR.
As our host showed us around the main building, we came upon a wall of colorful, delightful artwork. He pointed to a sign designating this art collection as the “Geezer Gallery.” The artwork was created by residents of Mary’s Woods, the retirement community.
Sometime after we returned home, I was visiting with Carol Deaner, long-time member and now president of Pend Oreille Arts Council.
She was excited to hear about the Geezer Gallery idea, so we began to scheme a bit about helping make that happen in Sand-point.
Next Tues-day’s Geezer Forum just may be the first step toward that collection of art created by older adults. The root meaning of “geezer” is “disguise”. Thus my description of a geezer is “someone who is full of hope and vitality, living in the disguise of gray hair and wrinkles”.
Some of that hope and vitality can be both discovered and explored by geezers-in-training through the creation of some form of art or another. Many of the visible (professional and amateur) artists in Bonner County have gray hair and wrinkles.
So many invisible artists in our area also have gray hair and wrinkles. And countless other geezers-in-training who think they have no artistic skills or even artistic motivation live here too. Maybe next door to you. Maybe in your home.
One of the fun parts for me of being the writer of Dear Geezer, and host of The Geezer Forum, is the research I get to do. A simple Google search of “inner artist and older adults” took me to a number of articles that emphasize the internal value of older adults engaging in some art form.
Psychologist Frances Toder discovered new value and enjoyment in her own retirement when she took cello lessons and creative writing. She also discovered that some scientists believe that the age of 60 on may actually be the best time in life to begin some kind of artistic pursuit.
Subsequently, Toder explored art and older adults in her book “The Vintage Years: Finding Your Inner Artist (Writer, Musician, Visual Artist) After Sixty.”
She learned that our brains actually continues to grow new connections and becomes more efficient as we age; along the way, the wisdom we acquire over the years enhances the expression of art.
This affirmation is the basic premise of next Tuesday’s Geezer Forum, folks. Hannah Combs and Carol Deaner from POAC, area artist Terrie Kremer, and perhaps another artist or two, will lead us during our 2:30-4 p.m. session.
They will encourage us to realize that art comes from inside us (regardless of what it might look on the outside, I presume?). POAC’s primary program to encourage art in children is called Kaleidoscope. Perhaps you know of it.
We will be invited to engage in a simple drawing art project using the Kaleidoscope’s lesson plan. My take? If the kids can do it, so can we!
For this project, we are invited to bring a simple “personal memento” with us (small enough to fit in one hand). If we don’t have an object, POAC will provide some visual prompters.
The last part of our session will be a discussion of whether POAC might offer some future art classes to older adults in the Sandpoint area.
I personally hope that such classes could even result in the development of a Geezer Gallery, where new and experienced artists can share their creations.
Please join us at the Geezer Forum, 2:30-4:00 in Columbia Bank’s Community Room on Tuesday, September 10.
Paul Graves, M.Div., is Lead Geezer-in-Training of Elder Advocates, a consulting ministry on aging issues. Contact him at 208-610-4971 or elderadvocates@nctv.com.