Wisdom, they say, comes with age.
Aging is a hot topic these days. Aging boomers consult experts on how to prepare for old age, how to
look younger, how to save for retirement, how to maintain their brains and bodies at peak performance.
Artists are accustomed to living on the fringes of society - on the outside, looking in. We are typically
less conventional, more experimental, more critical of society, and often poorer, less secure, and more
isolated than the average citizen.
Then suddenly we're Seniors, part of the fastest growing and most conservative demographic in the
country. But we're not typical Seniors; we generally remain marginal and we don't retire. We continue
to work because making art is our life, and still defines us. We've become what I call "Cultural Elders".
The traditional role of Elders in society is the sharing of wisdom with younger generations. So what
do we, as Cultural Elders, have to say? For this project I invited 16 BC artists, men and women,
senior both in years and professional stature, to share their personal take on life, the human condition,
aging, the passage of time, and their personal search for meaning in life.
The Existential Elders 2014-15 touring exhibition was the result.
