Set your mind alight with a poetry reading from Lee Herrick, California Poet Laureate and widely celebrated author and professor. Lee’s work cuts to the core of human experience, exploring ideas of self and humanity through stories of creativity, justice, home, and more. Lee is the author of three books of poems: Scar and Flower, Gardening Secrets of the Dead, and This Many Miles from Desire.
Join us for a joyful movement moment with Liv Schaffer and her dance collaborators. Liv is a celebrated dancer, teaching artist, and serves as the Intergenerational Programs Director with EngAge and Director of the Dance Generators, an intergenerational dance company housed at the University of San Francisco. She explores dance as a tool for bridging generational divides.
Internationally acclaimed mixed-media and fiber artist Margaret Fabrizio has gifted the world with colorful, textural textiles born of deep curiosity about the world and cultural traditions. Margaret will be in conversation with Nick Brentley to explore the lifelong pursuit of creativity and how it leads to new paths of joy. Nick Brentley brings his imaginative curiosity to all endeavors, nurturing meaningful connection through image styling, dance, theater, music, and more.
Join Jessica McCracken, MPA, for an interactive moment of play and insight. Jessica brings people together through the creative process. Her career began at the Center for Elders and Youth in the Arts, Institute on Aging. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in Nonprofit Arts Management. With great dedication to collaboration, Jessica co-founded Spark, a collective of individuals utilizing the arts to support healthy aging.
Jordan Evans is the co-founder for Art Against Ageism, an alliance dedicated to identifying, amplifying, and creating art that confront stereotypes and misperceptions about age and promote age positivity. Jordan will be in conversation with nationally recognized photographer and art activist Heidi Wagner of THE PASSIONS MOVEMENT, which embodies the work of THE PASSIONS PROJECT. This project combines art with individuals’ stories to create a new narrative around living with passion and purpose inclusive of all races, creeds, genders and gender identity, providing a dynamic platform to ignite social change.
Sharon Lee Minor (aka Auntie Afrika) is a Visual and Performance Artist, Cultural Anthropologist, and Arts Educator. Sharon is a recipient of two Artists/Scholars Grant Awards for her research on Aging & Creativity, by the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Maryland, USA (AHCMC). In this moment, we will celebrate the legacies of our influential elders by collectively envisioning our own Heritage Box. Sharon will be in conversation with Park Cofield, a builder of products, programs, and experiences that facilitate community.
Ari Seth Cohen, photographer and creator of Advanced Style, has spent 15+ years using the lens of personal style to feature people who live full creative lives in older age, lives of growth and panache. Ari’s work is internationally renowned, sparking thought-provoking conversations about what it means to grow older in our society. Ari will be in conversation with Judith Boyd, Advanced Style sartorial subject and the engaging voice of Style Crone, and Katie Wade, founder of the Creative Aging Symposium.