Art is Ageless® at Aberdeen Heights

WHAT:          

They are teachers, farmers, veterans, homemakers, entrepreneurs and nurses, among many others. Some have resumed art after putting it aside for a career, others have been creating beautiful pieces throughout their lives, and a few others never picked up a brush until after they retired, but all are now expressing themselves through art. 

These diverse lives intersect at the Aberdeen Heights senior living community this month with the Art is Ageless program, which reaffirms the agelessness of human creativity. Studies show seniors who are involved in the arts report better health, have more positive attitudes and are more active than those who are not. 

“It’s inspiring to see the beautiful pieces these seniors have created,” said Cindy Paige, Director of Community Relations at Aberdeen Heights. “The joy it brings to them and others is wonderful, and that’s something we want to celebrate and share with the entire Kirkwood community.”

The Art is Ageless exhibit will feature works from local artists who are 65 and older, including a few Aberdeen Heights residents. The public is welcome to visit the community to view the exhibit of acrylics, oils, photography and various other mediums, ranging from amateur to professional levels. This year’s exhibit will also showcase works by Brother Melvin Meyer, an 85-year-old who has worked as a resident artist in St. Louis for the past 35 years. His art is permanently on display at the Marianist Galleries in Kirkwood. 

In addition to the exhibit, Aberdeen Heights will honor local senior artists during a reception at the community at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 11. 

The Art is Ageless program has been encouraging creativity in seniors for more than 30 years, and is sponsored by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America (PMMA), which is a nonprofit organization that owns and operates 18 senior living communities in Missouri and Kansas. Each year the organization publishes an Art is Ageless calendar, featuring works by amateur senior artists. Proceeds from the sale of calendars are reinvested into new art programs and opportunities for PMMA residents. 

WHO:

Aberdeen Heights is a not-for-profit continuing care retirement community, offering 243 independent living apartment homes and an on-site health care center including 30 assisted living apartments, 15 memory support suites and 38 skilled nursing rooms. For more information about Aberdeen Heights, call 1-800-984-8691 or visit the community’s website at www.AberdeenSeniorLiving.com.  

WHEN:      

Thursday, April 11, 2013         

6:30 p.m.            

Exhibit runs from Tuesday, April 9, to Friday, April 19                     

WHERE:        

The Glen at Aberdeen Heights                       

505 Couch Avenue

Kirkwood, MO 63122