Intergenerational Artwork
Around the perimeter of the Exhibit Space are contemporary art pieces created by artists of a wide range of ages. Descriptions of each piece were written by the artists to reflect the intergenerational processes, insights, and values that inspired their work. You are encouraged to engage meaningfully, confront what challenges you, seek inspiration, and imagine your own aging future as you share the space
You can access the broader Untold Stories of Aging digital exhibition here: https://www.untoldstoriesofaging.com/
______________________________________________________________________
A windswept juniper,
easily overlooked, often forgotten.
A windswept juniper, an ancient, wise teacher,
a symbol of time like a river that never stops flowing.
You see yourself moving through life in its gnarled, twisted trunk,
its roots, connecting you to your destiny.
A wealth of knowledge bestowed in its branches,
rings of wisdom lay in the trunk.
A windswept juniper, powerful without speaking,
respected without trying.
Matthew Obold-Geary, age 20
Windswept Juniper, 2024
Salvaged wood, reclaimed farm tools, and water heater parts.
This piece represents the resiliency and wisdom that we all possess. As we age, we are often overlooked, yet we remain strong and wise. This sculpture is made from reclaimed materials—once useless to some but given a new life. A windswept juniper that has lived for an incomprehensible amount of time and is still holding firm against the wind is an analogy for aging. Starting with the canopy, the old tools were given to me by my grandfather and a friend of our family who is an older adult I called Papa Bill. These tools are well-worn and well-used by my grandfather and Papa Bill. These tools come together to form the canopy, each having a history of their own—a testament to withstanding time. The trunk of the juniper is made of wood scraps from various other projects, and the wavy pieces of metal used to represent the earth near the bottom are found inside water heaters. Nestled within the wavy pieces of metal is driftwood from the Oregon coast. These pieces of driftwood are an essential detail of this piece because they remind me of my Grandparents, who live in Oregon. The base is part of a railroad tie weathered over time. Using the personification of a windswept juniper as being wise and resilient throughout time shows how even though we might be old and weathered, we are still a wealth of knowledge.
______________________________________________________________________
Zoe Vincent, Katie Rice, Sierra McCloskey with older adult and youth partners, mixed ages
Cinderella Project, 2021
Postcards with colored pencils, reproduced on vinyl
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Visual Art Education (VAE) students Zoe Vincent, Katie Rice, and Sierra McCloskey wanted to help isolated individuals feel a sense of community. To begin, they traced an outline of local artist Elizabeth “Grandma” Layton’s drawing Cinderella to mimic a coloring book page. They then cut the page into postcard-size pieces and gave them to 5th and 6th graders at nearby elementary schools to begin coloring. The VAE students then took the unfinished postcards to Arbor Courts Retirement Community, where seniors colored in the blank spots and helped piece the coloring page back together to reveal the Cinderella Community Quilt. When admiring the finished project, elementary schoolers and senior citizens alike commented that they felt a sense of pride and belonging from participating in this community project.
______________________________________________________________________
Interdisciplinary Aging Practice classes of 2022 – 2024, mixed ages
What’s Worth Knowing & What’s Worth Doing, 2024
Collaborative poetry
These two poems were constructed from statements made by 70 Masters of Social Work students who took an Interdisciplinary Aging Practice class between 2022 - 2024. In the final class session of a 15-week course, students were asked to anonymously respond to four prompts: 1) “About aging I have learned,” 2) “About myself I have learned,” 3) “As we age, it is worth knowing that,” and 4) “I am setting an intention to.” These prompts appear within the poem along with reflections from various students that were merged to create two collective poems. These end-of-semester poems represent a collection of both personal and professional insights gained from learning about aging in a supportive, educational space, focused on producing better informed practitioners. The first poem’s title – “What's Worth Knowing” - is borrowed from a book of the same name published in 2001 in which long-time gerontological social worker Wendy Lustbader collected portraits, testimonials, and wisdom from dozens of adults in their 70s, 80s and 90s living in retirement communities. The students read excerpts from this book to inspire their own reflective process during their final class session.
______________________________________________________________________
Myintzu Aye
Resiliency, 2021
Photo series
When I think of my country, I ask myself why life is so unfair. We do not choose to be born in a developing and poor country where there is conflict, natural disasters, and a military coup. We do not speak much about older people who make up 10% of the total population, who need social protection and support during crisis. In a country where there are social welfare policies to support older adults only on paper, many social services are not supported by the government. Instead, community and family are important to older people’s lives and wellbeing and vice versa. I did not grow up with grandparents as three passed away before I was even born and the other, my grandmother, passed when I was very young. My childhood memories of my grandmother are vague, but I still remember her smiles whenever I entered her room. She did smile at me although she could not speak. This is the first resiliency that I realized before I even noticed…to smile.
When I moved out of my parents’ house and started to work as a medical intern, I encountered people like my grandmother who experienced critical conditions, but comforted their families with the same beautiful smiles.
It is not uncommon to see a very old person selling things at small markets in Myanmar because they are financially supporting their family – children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. They are caretakers, storytellers, breadwinners, and moreover, teachers and mentors in faith, cultures, and traditions for their families.
______________________________________________________________________
Jeff Richardson, age 62
Untitled, 2021
Digital media
My mother had a massive stroke 5 years ago. Her life and mine changed that day. This smart, successful, active woman suddenly was trapped in an aging body that no longer worked fully. This digital art and text is me reflecting on our new life.
______________________________________________________________________
Residents of Arbor Court, Cedarhurst, and Pioneer Ridge Assisted and Independent Living Communities, mixed ages
Seasons, 2025
Mixed media on painted canvas
This piece was collaboratively created by over 30 residents of three assisted and independent living residences in Lawrence, KS. The collective process made up one portion of an arts-based intervention designed by Liz Langdon and Sarah Jen, KU professors in Art Education and Social Work, respectively. The intervention was delivered by Art Education, Architecture, and Social Work students – Avery Darby, Emily Ford, Drew Graff, Jess Grubenhoff, Grace Hermreck, Ashley Sagi, and Zhiqi Yi. Over two visits, residents were guided through several different art-making processes. Each individual created several smaller pieces which were then combined onto a single painted canvas. Each facility was gifted their collaborative canvas for display in their building and a fourth canvas, this piece, was created with materials from all three residences. The residence-specific pieces will be on display at the Lawrence Public Library during April of 2026. The final pieces include watercolor cutouts, tissue paper flowers, cyanotype prints, and tole paintings.