Art With Elders

Art With Elders

Founded in 1991, Art With Elders (AWE) connects generations by celebrating the wisdom, talents, and creativity of older adults, while utilizing the vast potential of the visual arts as a tool to address the challenges of aging. The program provides two thousand art classes each year for more than four hundred seniors living in long-term care communities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Led by artist Mark Campbell and taught by a team of dedicated professional Artist Instructors, elders gather in small groups for two hours each week to learn new skills and create art. AWE is distinctive in its program quality; these are not craft activities, but instead focus on technique and skill-building—ranging from color and composition to perspective and background.

Through art classes and exhibitions, AWE uses the power of creativity to build community and offer seniors connectedness, new skills, expanded modes of expression, and, most importantly, joy and meaning. As part of Art With Elders' twenty-fifth anniversary, SFO Museum is proud to exhibit the works of nineteen artists working in a variety of mediums including watercolor, acrylic, and oil on canvas.

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