Americans are living and thriving longer than ever before. By 2035, people over 65 in the U.S. will outnumber those under 18. And most will be both cognitively and physically healthy—but also increasingly lonely.
Research shows creative activities which cultivate skills and broaden capabilities become increasingly important to adults as they age, especially when done in community.
The art museum is particularly well positioned to host those creative activities and offer that community for older adults.
It's time for museums to embrace this opportunity
Museums have a long history of welcoming children. But the needs of older adults have often been neglected. It’s not that museums don’t care. It’s that ageism, the most quietly tolerated bias in American life, has made their needs easy to overlook.
Our work empowers museums to identify their own blind spots and implement new practices that make the institutions more welcoming, more connected, and more alive.
