Marin County Teens And Older Adults Ask: What Does Age Really Mean?

SAN RAFAEL, CA — What does age mean to you? That's the question behind a new San Rafael art exhibition bringing teenagers and adults 65 and older together to explore how people view age, aging and one another.

Youth in Arts' “Let's Talk About Age” features artwork from 24 artists, including teen participants in the nonprofit's Intensive Arts Mentorship program and older artists who worked alongside them.

The exhibition opens with a public reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday at the Youth in Arts Gallery & ArtLab at 917 C St. in San Rafael. It will remain on display through Nov. 6.

The project began with a collaboration earlier this year at the Marin Civic Center between the Marin Cultural Association and Youth in Arts. The project was inspired by “What About Age?,” a yearlong exhibition at New York University's Kimmel Windows that examined stereotypes and challenges surrounding aging.

For the Marin project, Youth in Arts paired its teen artists with artists 65 and older. During a series of workshops, participants shared personal experiences, discussed assumptions about different generations and explored ways to communicate their ideas through visual storytelling.

The result was a collaborative project that encouraged participants to connect across generations while creating art together.

Visitors to the new exhibition are invited to consider the same question posed to the artists: “What do you want to say about age?”

The teen artists participate in Youth in Arts' Intensive Arts Mentorship program, which provides young people from underserved communities with opportunities to develop creative skills and receive stipends for their work on public art projects.

The San Rafael-based Youth in Arts has provided arts education in the North San Francisco Bay Area since 1970. Its programs include Artists in Schools, Arts Unite Us, the 'Til Dawn a cappella program and Intensive Arts Mentorship.

The nonprofit said it serves more than 4,000 students in person each year.

The “Let's Talk About Age” exhibition is free and open to the public. The Youth in Arts Gallery & ArtLab is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The gallery is located at 917 C St. in San Rafael.

More information about the exhibition is available through Youth in Arts.