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Vol. LXV, No. 17
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011
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Vol. LXV, No. 17
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011
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“Art transcends age,” observed Princeton Senior Resource Center (PSRC) Executive Director Susan Hoskins. With that in mind, PSRC, in collaboration with the Princeton Arts Council, the Princeton Public Library, and Secure at Home, will hold an all-day Creativity Festival on Tuesday, May 17 at the Suzanne Patterson building behind Borough Hall. The library and the Arts Council will be hosting creativity-related events throughout the month.
“We’re celebrating the many ways that people are creative throughout the life span,” noted Ms. Hoskins. “May is ‘Older Americans Month’, and we want to celebrate the contributions people make, the ways that they find creative expression early in life and continue to practice, or even begin to practice later in life. Many of our artists and writers do not consider themselves ‘old writers’ and it’s not about being old, it’s about continuing to create into our 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond.”
As part of the collaboration, reported Princeton Public Library Program Coordinator Janie Hermann, the library will be highlighting events that speak to the theme of lifelong creativity throughout the month of May.
Among its plans for the month, said Community Arts Manager Maria Evans, the Arts Council will be hosting studio-based workshops led by “well-known local artists who are over the age 65” on Mondays from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The featured artists include Al Aronson, leading a workshop on Abstract Expressionist painting on May 2; a May 9 session on clay figure sculpting with Bob Jenkins; Marie Sturken, working with handmade paper collage on May 16; and, on May 23, “see-through art” with Maggie Johnson. Each session is $20 for non-members, $15 for members. To purchase tickets or for more information, call (609) 924-8777 or visit artscouncilofprinceton.org.
Finding ways to celebrate “Older Americans Month” every May poses a challenge. “I find that people don’t want to focus on being called older Americans,” said Ms. Hoskins. “What we like to do is to celebrate being active and connected and the wisdom that people have.”
“I think art is very revealing,” commented former Kindergarten teacher Naomi Reich, whose work will appear in the May 17 show. “In fact, I didn’t start painting until I retired; I was afraid to put myself out there. Now I just start out with a blank page and I’m never quite sure what I’ll turn out with. My thesis,” she added, “is that anybody and everybody can paint, although many people think that they can’t.”
In addition to the art show that will include works by a number of PSRC regulars as well as some newcomers, there will be performances from 1 to 4 p.m. on May 17 by the Community Without Walls On Stage troupe, Evergreen Forum members, and poetry readings. The art show will officially begin at 4.
“The works on display will represent a range of abilities,” said Ms. Hoskins. It’s like the ‘Ted Mack Amateur Hour,’” she added, “but our whole goal is to be as inclusive as we can.”
Admission to the event is free. Refreshments will be available throughout the day, and there will be an art reception at 4 p.m. Transportation to and from senior housing communities will be provided free of charge.
For another article on creativity, see today’s Town Topics Books section.