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Museums and Aging

Fighting ageism and promoting lifelong learning and creativity.

How Smithsonian Associates Reimagined Its Music Programs for Older Adults during the Pandemic

By Liz Paige
In 2019, Smithsonian Associates—the largest museum-based education program in the world—had the opportunity to launch a popular music program designed for those fifty-five and older thanks …

Where you live may protect you from dementia

By Morgan Sherburne-Michigan, Futurity

A trio of studies shows that urban and suburban neighborhoods that provide opportunities for socialization, physical activity, and intellectual stimulation may help preserve older …

Creating Connections: Merging Lifelong Learning and Music Therapy

By Katherine Palmer and Christa Mannen
The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, Arizona, celebrates music and world cultures through a multisensory experience—where guests can “travel” the globe through the sights and …

Crowdsourced Resources on Museums & Creative Aging

By Elizabeth Merritt
Logo of Center of the Future of Museum's Space Slug
IMHO, the best thing about webinars—a feature not replicated by live events—is the chat room. Chat offers the thrill of passing notes in class, but with the explicit validation of the …

These Older Workers Hadn’t Planned To Retire So Soon. The Pandemic Sped Things Up

By Andrea Hsu, NPR.org

Roughly 2 million more people than expected have joined the ranks of the retired during the pandemic, according to The New School's Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis. While …

Why Ageism And Ableism Should Be Front And Center In Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Strategy

By Sheila Callaham, Forbes

In the past year, companies created more roles for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion than ever before. That's good because the root causes of inequities are complicated, and it takes …

Grooving With the Mardi Gras Indians

By

The Louisiana State Museum hosted an online, six-week creative aging workshop for older audiences in conjunction with Mystery in Motion: African American Masking and Spirituality in …

Instead of Bingo, Senior Housing Brings Opera Singers and Broadway Insiders to Residents

By

New York senior communities take advantage of the city's cultural institutions by inviting artists and experts to their facilities. Enrichment classes are a dime a dozen in retirement …

Combat Ageism. Your Future Self Will Thank You.

By Elizabeth Merritt
Logo of Center of the Future of Museum's Space Slug
Of the many -isms we are grappling with as individuals and as a society, one of the strangest is ageism. Strange because, in the best case, we will all reach old age. So we are effectively …

Report: Positive trends in aging, but not for everyone

By Morgan Sherburne-Michigan, Futurity

More older Americans are able to meet their daily care needs without assistance, a report shows, but concerning gaps remained for older Black and Hispanic people. According to the …

What I Learned in a Year of Writing “Museums and Creative Aging: A Healthful Partnership”

By Marjorie Schwarzer
Headshot of Marjorie Schwarzer
The creative aging movement is coming of age, and just in the nick of time. As of last year, 80 percent of state arts agencies across the United States reported a high or very high demand …

New Report—Museums and Creative Aging: A Healthful Partnership

By American Alliance of Museums
AAM Logo on dark green background
This landmark 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 …
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Latest Stories from AAM

A Q&A with Dirk Hiscock, Designer of This Year’s Winner for Excellence in Publication Design

By American Alliance of Museums
AAM Logo on dark green background
Category: Alliance Blog
After reviewing hundreds of entries every year, the jury for AAM’s annual Museum Publications Design Competition awards only one publication with the Frances Smyth-Ravenel Prize for …

Pushing the Boundaries

By Ashley Rogers
Category: Museum Magazine
The Whitney Plantation Museum confronts the truth of its history in all facets of its …

Beyond the Museum Walls

By Heryte T. Tequame
Category: Museum Magazine
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2021 issue of Museum magazine, a benefit of AAM membership. The Queens Museum serves as a community anchor by embracing porosity, …

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