American Alliance of Museums Releases Major Creative Aging Report

The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) recently released a landmark report on museums and creative aging and announced a national Summit on Museums and Creative Aging.

The report, commissioned by the American Alliance of Museums and written by Marjorie Schwarzer, is a call to action for museums to change the narrative about what it means to grow old in America. Opening with an overview of aging and ageism in our country, the report documents actions being taken to foster positive aging, profiles the work of museums providing creative aging programming, and shares lessons learned from Aroha’s Seeding Vitality Arts in Museums initiative. You can download a copy of the report here.

AAM will host a national Museum Summit on Creative Aging, a free, highly interactive virtual summit that will provide museum professionals with inspiration, tools and connections to help them serve the growing and underserved population of people who are “55 and better.” The half-day program includes keynote discussions, interactive workshops and panels that include Seeding Vitality Arts in Museums grantees. The summit takes place on July 29, 2021 from 1-6 pm ET. Learn more here.

It’s time for America’s museums—with their long commitment to education for youth and their essential relationships with older adults as visitors, volunteers, advocates, and trustees—to take a fresh approach to the experiences they offer people fifty-five and better.

Museums can and must venture beyond their own walls—physical and metaphorical—to develop strong, lasting community relationships, especially with those who have been overlooked as intelligent, contributing members of society: older adults.

We encourage you to share these two exciting developments in creative aging with your networks.