A Whole New World of Old

Photo KATU



Having relatives and friends in and around Portland, Oregon, I peruse the local papers and TV stations to keep up with their news.  I brought up KATU TV to see the most amazing glass sculpture and a gallery of other wonderful art pieces.  They are featuring the Geezer Gallery, a fine arts gallery, the inspiration of Amy Henderson, featuring elder artists.  Read here why-geezer. "Rather than a term of derision, we seek to redefine geezer as a term of strength, empowerment, and perhaps even endearment. Instead of a pejorative, geezer can become a rallying cry for all of us, regardless of chronological age, to embrace the creative forces which reside within." Their home page displays the logo "The Geezer Gallery- a whole new old."  The gallery is located at 7710 SW 31st Street, Portland, Oregon, in Multnomah Village, one of my favorite places in the world to be.  Shops, bakery, coffee, you can't go wrong.

Lamp by Chuck Castro

The gallery has an art as Therapy initiative, especially as it concerns our growing elder population. I have experienced personal growth working through issues with art.  The works in the gallery are varied and interesting.  They are about so much more than the art you see in the gallery.  Below is a glass piece by Frank Springer, a fine glass artist and retired Portland cop who at 97 volunteers in Portland schools teaching about glass and art on personal basis with young students.  As you probably know the arts of all kinds have taken a serious beating by the current economy in the schools as elsewhere.  To me this is a peerless match up, the elder experienced artist and our children who are are our future.

Plate by Frank Springer displayed at the Geezer Gallery - photo KATU

I found it especially exciting because I'm an artist, an artist in a long slump, but I just started volunteering with an art program in our Walla Walla elementary schools, Art Lab.  I signed up to do "a" tour of the Walla Walla Foundry with my 5th grade grandgirls and their class.  Turns out what they really needed was several someones to be at the Foundry helping put the tour on so I signed up for one a month.  And, now I get to go on tour with just the adults to pre-view the place in detail.  I have been there before but not so much from the inside.  Then I had to shake the cobwebs out of my head and write a blurb about one of the many, international artists who do their work there.  That material written by us volunteers goes to the teachers to use to prep the students for the tour.  It needs to be interesting, and brief, a challenge.  I used to write and do art and photos for a small PR group years ago, some of that experience is still there I found.  I got it done and I liked it.  I think this is my own art therapy and it started some juice flowing again.  Last night I found out the artist I wrote about, Ming Fay was in town.  I plan to hustle down over and see if I can catch a glimpse and see what he's up to there, an art goupie at 70, ha, ha.  The map of our lives is out there if we just don't quit looking for it.