Sierra Madre Playhouse Honors Seniors

The Playhouse is creating a lobby exhibit illustrating people who have continued their artistic practice as they age. – Courtesy photo

Use your art to fight stereotypes about aging

The Sierra Madre Playhouse, a 99 seat nonprofit theater, is producing two plays in the near future and in the spring on themes of aging and the choices, pastimes, and wisdom of seniors. The plays are “The Gin Game” by D.L Coburn (Sept. 8 – Oct. 6) and “Tuesdays With Morrie” by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom, based on the book by Mitch Albom (spring 2019).

These plays have inspired Sierra Madre Playhouse to plan a group of programs “The Arts of Aging” as part of their “Digging Deeper” series of programs that engage the community in the themes and issues of productions. The Playhouse will be creating a lobby exhibit to shine light on some of these issues.

A key element of this lobby will be artist-created, enlarged playing cards that feature “face cards” illustrating people who have continued their artistic practice as they age or pastimes that enrich the lives of seniors.

Have you got an artist – any field – dance, theater, visual arts, literature- who you would like to honor by creating a customized “face card” as part of this deck honoring mature artists? This opportunity is open to artists of all ages as long as directions, deadlines, and dimensions are followed. Here is how you can get involved:

1. Pick a person in the arts (or yourself) who is continuing in their art participation past the age of 55. The Playhouse has suggestions if you need an idea. The aim is to spotlight many different art forms and the diversity of the community.
2. Or, choose a pastime or artistic pursuit that a senior can actively participate in – ceramics, dance, singing, fishing, knitting, quilting, card playing, going to the theater etc.

Any original two-dimensional media is acceptable – drawing, painting, collage, photo, photoshop (following current copyright guidelines) as long as it can be photographed or scanned – no sculpture.

Contact Email Diane Siegel at diane.siegel@sierramadreplayhouse.org  to tell them the subject/theme of your face card. Create your card as an image that is sized to fit a 8 ½ by 11-inch sheet.

In about 100 words tell them about your subject. Be sure to include who is in the picture – name of artist (if it is a real) person. What is their art form?  The reason you chose to honor them. If your subject/person is a more generic representative of an artist doing art or a pastime of some kind, describe what they are doing and why it might enrich the lives of seniors. You might want to talk about breaking aging stereotypes. If you are portraying a living person – ask their permission to make them the subject of your art and tell them they will be in a lobby display.

Your 100 word description may be edited for creation of labels or a text panel in the lobby. Include your name, age (if you wish) and the city where you live.

You will be sent an artist’s release form once you are assigned a card to create. The Playhouse asks for the use of the image in their lobby (Sept. 5 – Oct. 10) and permission to use the design in a possible standard size set of playing cards to be produced by the Sierra Madre Playhouse and sold to support the work of the Playhouse.

Submit your work as an 8 ½  by 11-inch image in a jpeg at 300dpi. Send it to Diane Siegel at diane.siegel@sierramadreplayhouse.org by Aug. 31 along with the 100 word description of your subject in a word document.  If this deadline is too short , but you still want to participate in the project contact the Playhouse.

There are no fees to participate and no financial remuneration for the artists. They can provide a letter saying that you have donated artwork to a non-profit.

More from Arts