Art of Aging

One of the elements addressed in the Aging Well Whatcom Blueprint is Cultural Shift, acknowledging that “our community has an incomplete and often negatively biased vision of aging.”  One of the expressed goals of this initiative is that “our community will have a full, honest understanding of the entire range of the realities of aging.”

The Art of Aging project was started because we recognized that although we know a lot about aging, most of what we know are broad brushstrokes. The details are missing. Important details. Reading statistical and demographic data, we cannot see the unique features that grace the face of each aging person.  When we look across our community, as a whole, we cannot possibly see the laugh lines and creases of sorrow of each individual’s experiences or hear their voice or rhythms of their thoughts.

The Art of Aging project is one step toward exploring some of the details of aging through series of portraits and recorded interviews reflecting diverse experiences of older adults in Whatcom County, as told through their own words.

A collaboration between Marie Eaton, Sarah Lane, and Richard Scholtz, the project produced 20 painted and audio portraits throughout 2021. 

Visit the Art of Aging webpage to spend some time with elders from across Whatcom County. 

The portraits are on display for the month of February 2022 at the Blaine Senior Center, 763 G Street, Blaine, WA.