I decided to look around our apartment to see which of the things that I own have real meaning to me and that I would miss if I lost them. In most cases, it’s the art on my walls. In all cases it’s not just the pieces, but what they represent, that holds meaning for me.
Category: Ed Talks
My Love/Hate Relationship
I started re-evaluating my relationship with Zoom. It wasn’t Zoom’s fault. Zoom had been loyal and reliable. I didn’t want to leave Zoom for another platform, just another medium, like, maybe a book. As I was about to engage Zoom with the, “It’s not you, it’s me” approach, I had a realization; zoom is the only thing that gives me a connection, however tenuous, to other people.
The Theatre of the Now
To me, not wasting time means not wasting the opportunity to create something. So if we’re trying to write NOW for the theatre, are we writing for what theatre is now or sometime in the (hopefully not too distant) future? Why can’t we do both? There are many theatre makers who are working hard to keep the medium alive in any way they can — some more successfully than others.
What to Do?
These days that indecisiveness is compounded by being thrust into a situation that has no precedent, for which there is no handbook, and has no end that anyone can see. The future is always a mystery and not knowing is always part of the equation in trying to figure out your life moves. But this is off the chart unknown.
The “Young Lady” Treatment
I recently read a guest column on Next Avenue written by Karen Grassle, who played Caroline Ingalls on the "Little House on the Prairie" TV series that ran from 1974-1983. Her story focused on how younger people she encountered negated her age, meaning it as a compliment.
A Balanced Life: Creative Aging and the Serious Leisure Perspective
A while back in this column, I took the position that art-making wasn’t just about “fun,”...science has confirmed my musings.
A “Play in a Day”: An Intergen Theatre Experience
With attention spans and the willingness to make and keep commitments seeming to be on the decline, I suppose it’s to be expected that we’d see the advent of “instant theatre,” or the 24-hour play projects. While I’ve seen these promoted in some New York City Off-Off Broadway theatres, the concept has come to Westchester …
National Efforts Prove Arts Ed Vital to Lifelong Learning
Public funding for the arts at the state and national levels has always supported arts education. Historically, that has meant funding programs serving the k-12 population. Shortly after we launched Lifetime Arts more a decade ago, two state arts agencies, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, expanded …
Where Do I Belong: Finding the Right Place to Retire and Create
I’ve never lived more than thirteen miles away from Yankee Stadium. As I enter my “third act” I’m feeling psychologically ready to retire, which impels me to ask the question, “Where do I want to live?” I’ve spent parts of the last 16 summers in the Berkshires. The Berkshires is a highland region mostly located …
A Tug of WAR: Work, Aging and Retirement
An article by Jill Smolowe in Next Avenue posed the question: “Do we slow down because we retire? Or do we retire because we slow down?” Ms. Smolowe described her life in “retirement” and it sounded like anything but retiring. She described her current life as consisting of volunteer work, exercise, meditation, getting together with …
Wired for It: How Music Making Benefits the Older Adult Mind
In Next Avenue‘s most recent Vitality Arts Report, I came across an article championing the benefits of music making to older adults. To anyone who has read, “Ed Talks,” or spent any time on the Lifetime Arts website, this is not news. What I found more dramatic as I explored the report further, was the …
Stories About Stories: Diversity and Complexity at Two Memorable Memoir Events
As we at Lifetime Arts always note, no two Creative Aging programs are the same. They are shaped by the teaching artists, the participants, and the venue. This past year, our initiative, Creative Aging in Westchester County, supported by the Westchester Community Foundation, resulted in five new programs including two that focused on memoir writing. …
“Performed by the People Who Lived It”: Theatre 55 Stages Shows Older Adults Want [VIDEO]
I’ve written in this space about the pleasure of not being condescended to as an older adult in an acting company made up of much younger theatre artists. My most recent experience acting in the Red Monkey Theatre/M&M Production of Chekov’s, “The Seagull” was very positive, but the reality is, engaging parts for older actors …
Art Imitates Life in The Waverly Gallery
Written almost 20 years ago, and a finalist for the 2001 Pulitzer Prize, Kenneth Lonergan’s, The Waverly Gallery, is very much a “memory” play. It depicts a multigenerational family of non-religious, Jewish, NYC intellectuals. The focus of the play, and the family’s energies, is the rapid cognitive decline of the 80- something grandmother, Gladys, a …
Not Your Cup of Tea?
Recently, I was on the train with a young actor, Julia, who related a story. Her father, who is around 60 years old, came into New York to see her perform and on a subsequent evening, the two went to a Billy Joel concert. After the concert Julia’s father said, “You know if I had …
Finding Your Arts Community
I’ve become hyper-aware of the plethora of articles being published on the electronic and print media with titles such as, “The Best Places to Retire,” “The Ten Best Places to Age,” and “Places Where Your Retirement Dollars Will Go Further.” Most of these stories feature places with warm climates (Florida and rest of the Sun …
What’s Age Got to Do with It?
Earlier this year I surmised in this column that things may be changing for older actors (especially female) who seem historically to have fewer and fewer opportunities as they age. I wrote about a quartet of older actors starring in the popular film Book Club. Of course these were all “A” list actors and box …
What Will I Do (About Retirement)?
This week, Stria, a new media platform focusing on the longevity market, published a column by our co-founder and executive director, Ed Friedman, on retirement choice and how those developing products and messaging for this demographic might think differently about their approach. Visit strianews.com to read Ed’s column and to explore trends, topics, ideas, and …
Ed Takes a Detour: Stay in Your Lane AAA
Photo by Diego Jimenez on Unsplash A recent communication from the Automobile Club of America (AAA) has caused me to take a slight detour from my musings on art and aging. The communication in question is titled “55 Reasons It’s Great to Be Over 55.” I’ll skip over the implication that we have to be convinced …
Ed Talks About Arts on Prescription
I Get By With a Little Help from My… Most all of my contemporaries are on some kind of medication regimen. Whether it’s for high blood pressure, cholesterol, bladder issues, hormone replacement, blood sugar — it seems like we’re all on something (and not in a fun way like the 70s). A history of less …
Ed Talks About Older Actors on Stage and Screen
Are we there yet? Glenda Jackson, 82, is currently starring in a universally praised Broadway production of Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women. This is on the heels of her King Lear at the Old Vic in London. (Image: Tristram Kenton for the Observer) Elaine May, 86, comes back to the New York theatre after 50 years …
Ed Talk: Science Confirms Arts Still Good for You
Told ya! Those of us in the non-profit arts sector are accustomed to constantly arguing for the value of the arts, but making a case for the importance of arts education for older adults is yet another hurdle to overcome. When The Creativity and Aging Study led by Dr. Gene Cohen was published in 2006 …
The Tyranny of Fun by Ed Friedman
I am about to commit a blasphemy. Here goes: MAKING ART IS NOT FUN. While I am loathe to encourage the either/or ethos that seemingly pervades every aspect of our lives, there seems to be a disconnect between those who strive to make art, and those for whom it’s of little or only passing interest. …
Ed Talks About Stress
As I inch slowly to retirement or cutting back my time (I’ve been saying this for three years now) I am inundated with examples of how I “should” be spending my leisure time. Much of the propaganda about retirement extols the virtue of the removal of work related stress. I’m wondering if “stress” is getting …
Ed and Al Boudreau: Celebrating Older Americans Month
A year ago during Older Americans Month (okay, I’m a week late) I wrote about marveling at James Earl Jones’ and Cicely Tyson’s performances in The Gin Game. This time I’d like to tell you about another talented individual that I know personally. Al Boudreau started taking dance lessons at 12 years old. Sixty-seven years …
Ed and the Meritocracy of the Arts
It’s one thing to sit at my desk and write about arts and aging, or talk to people and help them envision and implement arts programs. It’s quite another thing to be a participant in the process of art making. In the many years that I’ve been an arts administrator I’ve tried to keep a …
Ed Talks About Social Isolation
One Is the Loneliest A New York Times article by Paula Span talked about the dangers of isolation and loneliness in older adults. Ms. Span cites research at the University of California, San Francisco which found that those who reported loneliness were more likely to develop difficulties with activities of daily living. Of those surveyed …
Ed and The Comeback
“That’s what great artists do: They challenge themselves.” So said stage director Deborah Warner, when asked in an interview for the New York Times, why Glenda Jackson wanted to take on the title role in King Lear. At age 80, Ms. Jackson, a two-time Oscar winner (“Women in Love” and “A Touch of Class”), is coming …
Ed and Ashton Applewhite: A Conversation about Ageism
Ashton Applewhite was recently named Influencer of the Year by Next Avenue atop their list of 50 Influencers of Aging for 2016. A writer based in Brooklyn, New York, Ashton is the author of the recently released (and enthusiastically reviewed) This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism. Applewhite blogs at her website, This Chair Rocks, has written …
Ed and Retirement: Part II
Now what? Most of my friends are either about to retire or recently moved past it. For the people who are currently retired, they run the gamut. Those in more than fine financial shape (not too many) frequently travel to visit friends, or just get away and explore. At the other end of the retirement …
Ed and Retirement: Part I
Why Work? We just celebrated Labor Day, and I’ve been thinking a lot about my relationship to work. Claudia Shear’s play, Blown Sideways Through Life, is a one person autobiographical tour through the litany of the sixty-six jobs she held up to that point in her life. It was an Off-Broadway hit in the early …
Ed and Independence: On My Own
In my effort to have these monthly missives reflect days or months that are observed annually, I considered Nectarine Month, National Drive Thru Day, Barbie-in-a-Blender Day, Sports Cliché Day, and many others. I fall back, however, to the most obvious- Independence Day. It made me think about our individual independence. That enviable quality held in …
Ed and Father’s Day
Father’s Day is this month. Two things come to mind: 1. Where are the men? In our Creative Aging workshops around the country, no matter where we look or what arts discipline is offered, the ratio of women to men is about 8.5:1. It’s too simple to say that women live longer than men, and so …
Ed and Older Americans Month
By Ed Friedman Old?…Yeah… So? May has been designated Older Americans Month (OAM) by the Administration on Aging since 1963. OAM acknowledges the contributions of older people in the U.S. led by the Administration for Community Living, and the annual observance offers the opportunity to learn about, support, and celebrate our nation’s older citizens. So… …
Ed and National Library Week
By Ed Friedman Shush! It’s National Library Week (April 10-16). But rather than whisper we’d like to loudly acknowledge all the great work that emanates from libraries throughout the country. Of course, at Lifetime Arts, we have long recognized the value of public libraries as community cultural centers. Additionally, they are safe havens, oases if …