Aging INSPIRED!
Aging INSPIRED!
A Vital Living Campaign for the Community, by the Community
The mission of the URAI is to promote vitality in aging by transforming care and communities through discovery, learning, collaboration and innovation. We are committed to promoting health, independence, and engagement of older adults, enabling all of us to live our best lives. This is what we fondly refer to as “Aging INSPIRED!”
Engagement with the arts, both as consumers and creators, is a powerful way to promote vitality in later life. Having explored the relationships between vital aging and music in partnership with the Eastman School of Music in 2023, we now shift our attention to engaging older adults in a series of activities focused on the visual arts.
UR Aging Institute Celebrates “Aging INSPIRED!” with Memorial Art Gallery
Acclaimed abstract painter Alma Thomas created her most famous works after age 60. Her passion for her craft is making a profound impact on older creators and consumers of art.
URAI launched this year’s Aging INSPIRED! campaign at the Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) in Rochester, New York at the opening of the exhibition Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas. “This is a perfect exhibition to kick off the Aging INSPIRED! campaign because Alma Thomas had a very long career, but it didn’t really get started until she retired from her full-time job as a school teacher,” said Sarah Jesse, Mary W. and Donald R. Clark Director of the Memorial Art Gallery.
Both viewing and creating art can have many benefits, including improved mental health, creativity, and critical thinking skills. Some studies have found that people who enjoy looking at art get the same health benefits as people who enjoy making art.
“It makes you feel part of life, so that you’re not isolated, you’re not just sitting somewhere watching the world go by. It makes you feel like, ‘whoa I can do this!’”
Marguerite Quinn,
Memorial Art Gallery Docent
“For me, it’s intellectually stimulating, and it gets the brain matter and all the neurons firing—that’s what I see in art.”
Michael Johnson,
Memorial Art Gallery Member
“I look at art and I get inspired to learn things. It actually keeps me active. It keeps my mind engaged. It has me remember things that I haven’t remembered in a long time.”
David Michael,
Memorial Art Gallery Docent
“I love that Alma Thomas was able to really focus on this creative pursuit late in life, and it really shows all of us that it’s never too late to really dedicate your time to your craft.”
Sarah Jesse,
Memorial Art Gallery Director
Age-Friendly Community Resources
Through the Aging INSPIRED! campaign, our goal is to encourage older adults to engage in arts, both as consumers and creators. The Greater Rochester area is rich with programs and resources for aging with vitality. From classes and workshops to museums and performances, there’s something for everyone seeking the best quality of life, regardless of age.
Aging Inspired by Music
In 2023, URAI hosted its first Aging INSPIRED! event focused on the interface between aging and the performing arts. The event featured a performance by a group of older jazz musicians from Rochester followed by a panel discussion and virtual interview with the world’s preeminent jazz bassist, Ron Carter (who was 86 years old at the time of the event).
More than 150 attendees enjoyed the event, which was captured and shared in this recap video below.
UR Aging Institute Hosts First Aging INSPIRED! Event
This inaugural event took place on October 9, 2023 at Hatch Hall at the Eastman School of Music, “A Celebration of Aging and the Arts.”