Exhibit exploring aging opens today at Oglebay in Wheeling
“Memory” by Sylvie Bucher
Courtesy of Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center
“Mom’s Journey” by Roberta Rousa
Courtesy of Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center
“Jeanie and Will Kiss” from Isadora Kosofsky’s “Senior Love Triangle” photo documentary
Courtesy of Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center
Courtesy of Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center
“Empathy in Aging” from a sculpture series by Morgan Kranz
Courtesy of Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center
“Portrait of Alzheimer’s” by Gina Judy
Courtesy of Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center
A photograph from Marna Clarke’s “Time as We Know It” photo series.
Even though no one looks forward to it, we’re lucky if we reach old age.
That means we successfully avoided all the maladies and twists of fate that could have extinguished our lives much earlier. And thanks to advances in medicine, healthier diets and declining rates of smoking, more people are reaching their so-called golden years – estimates have it that 10,000 Americans per day are celebrating their 65th birthdays.
Starting today, the Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center in Wheeling, W.Va., will be examing the aging process through the exhibit “Presence: An Exploration of Aging Through Art.” Through a dozen works, it looks at how we age, how we perceive age and how art and creativity can help take some of the rough edges off aging.
“These are things that everyone can relate to,” according to Michael McKowen, the director of exhibitions at the Stifel Fine Arts Center.
The exhibit is part of a series of exhibits exploring critical issues. Last year, the Stifel Fine Arts Center hosted an exhibit on cancer and healing. McKowen, who is caring for aging parents, said he believes a place where people can “commune.”
“A public art space should invite exploration,” he explained. “By presenting topics that affect every human being, we provide opportunities for emotional, physical, mental and spiritual growth.”
Photographs, paintings, poetry and mixed media works will all be represented in “Presence.” Four artists from the Ohio Valley are included in the exhibit, along with students from the interior architecture program at Pittsburgh’s Chatham University.
Educational programs will take place weekly, and include yoga and wellness workshops, presentations from artists, panel discussions and art therapy sessions. The first event, “A Journey Through Dementia,” is scheduled for 6 p.m. today at the Stifel Fine Arts Center. April Wintermoyer, owner of a home care company in Wheeling and Morgantown, W.Va., will facilitate a virtual dementia experience that will simulate the daily realities of people living with dementia.
“Presence: An Exploration of Aging Through Art,” will be at the Stifel Fine Arts Center through April 25. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Evening hours are dependent on classes and special events.
For information call 304-242-7700, or go online to www.OIonline.com/presence.