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An exhibit with “aging” in the title is bound to deal with the tribulations of geriatrics. So it is with “Aging with Attitude” in which there are the familiar images: An elderly person resting in a wheelchair. Several generations of women and men captured in black-and-white photos. And, there’s even a sculpture of an older woman in sheep’s clothing.
Collectively considered, however, the more than 60 pieces in the exhibit are anything but predictable, show organizers say. The works offer an unflinching look at growing old in many of its painful and beautiful hues.
“Aging with Attitude” runs through March 28 at the Jean Paul Slusser Gallery, located on the first floor of the School of Art & Design, 2000 Bonisteel Blvd.
“The show has been created by and for people of all ages,” says Bill Burkhardt, exhibit curator and lecturer in the School of Art & Design. “Because of the wide range of artists’ ages, there is a variety of perceptions and styles. The exhibit makes you think: as a culture, we’re infatuated with youth, but there must be other, broader ways of thinking about youth and older people.”
Among the works are simulations of aging skin pinned to a clothesline, magical realistic illustrations, intricately woven textiles and representational drawings of the drooping effects of gravity and age on the human body.
“The intent of the exhibit is to pry open a discussion on growing old,” says Jill Kind, director of Blueprint for Aging, and co-host of the exhibit with U-M.
“As a culture, we tend to think about aging in negative or sentimental ways,” she says. “These artists challenge our assumptions and get us to think of a whole spectrum of possibilities instead of one or two worn images.”
The exhibit includes artwork by invited and nationally recognized artists, U-M faculty and students. A mini-exhibit, “Me when I am Old,” featuring drawings by local elementary school students, is installed in a space adjacent to the gallery.
Slusser Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday; noon-7 p.m. Saturday.
