NYU - New York University
09/25/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/25/2024 08:24
NYU’s Kimmel Windows Presents ‘What About Age?’ Oct. 1-March 18, 2025
Art by Aubrey Hirsch.
Kimmel Windows, NYU's outdoor public art gallery stretching along LaGuardia Place and West 3rd Street, presents What About Age? An Exhibition on the Impact of Ageism in Contemporary Society October 1, 2024-March 18, 2025.
Artwork by New York-based writer and illustrator Aubrey Hirsch will fill the thirteen exterior windows with scenarios involving ageism, which is defined as discrimination against people because of their age. The exhibition examines the structural aspects of ageism, such as how American laws, policies, and culture aid rather than diminish it, as well as the healthcare costs associated with it, and how the media shapes attitudes toward age. A central question is why society primarily focuses on what is lost with age rather than what is gained.
The exhibition was curated by Stacey Gordon, program director of Next Phase Adult Caregiving and Retirement in the Office of Work Life. Gordon has a background in social work and gerontology, and her doctoral research focused on structural ageism and the family.
"We wanted to create a movement to engage and educate the public and promote behavioral change, and the Kimmel Windows is a great venue for developing awareness," Gordon says. "We want to raise the consciousness of our students, faculty, employees, and community."
An example of the Kimmel Windows display.
In her clinical work and research, Gordon witnessed first-hand the subtle messages that older people receive from family members, healthcare providers, and others in their lives.
"The literature on ageism reveals serious psychological and physiological consequences," she says. "There are other 'isms' we pay attention to, like sexism and racism. Few people are paying attention to ageism, but it's baked into many levels of our society."
The exhibition depicts scenes of ageism targeting young people, but it focuses primarily on older people because the negative effects are more dire for this population, Gordon says.
What About Age? is free and visible around the clock seven days a week. Pamela Jean Tinnen designed the exhibition and Annie Levy served as a consultant. It is a project of NYU's Office of Work Life, which supports individual and organizational well-being.
An opening reception will be held October 1 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the lobby of the Skirball Center for the Arts, 566 LaGuardia Place. Visit this website to register.
A panel on ageism featuring Gordon, Hirsch, author and researcher Becca Levy, and NYU Silver School of Social Work faculty member Ernest Gonzales will be held on October 9 at 3:00 p.m. Register here for this free event.
About NYU Kimmel Windows | Art in Public Places
Kimmel Windows (founded in 2003) is located on LaGuardia Place and West 3rd Street-just one block south of iconic Washington Square Park. The Windows exist as a unique cultural destination at the heart of New York University in historic Greenwich Village, providing space for exemplary public exhibits. These thirteen ground floor vitrines offer three dynamic exhibitions a year. The Windows operate under the umbrella of the Provost's office, at the heart of NYU's Art in Public Places initiative which facilitates the display of art in outdoor spaces around campus. It offers professionally curated, thoughtful, and engaging exhibitions organized by NYU graduate students, faculty, departments, and programs, resulting in a program that represents the wide range of scholarly discourse at New York University.