Senior citizens shouldn't be feared, shunned or hated for being slow drivers. Live long enough, and everyone gets there. And the embarrassment of having to rely on orthopedic shoes and fiber pills to keep everything working like it used to will eventually be a reality for all -- even ASU students.
"When I Grow Up," the main summer exhibit in the ASU Art Museum, is about both the realities of getting old and breaking people's stereotypes of the elderly.
Dates open: May 22 – Sept. 11
Where: ASU Art Museum in the Nelson Fine Arts Center
Times and days open: Tuesday - Saturday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Cost: Free
The exhibit is a mix of photography series, video documentaries and retro recliners donated by La-Z- Boy and is designed to show how senior citizens live and what they are really like, focusing on the issues of independence, physical fitness, racism and displacement. The exhibit opened on May 22.
"Seniors are largely forgotten about around here by students unless they're doing a special project," said John Spiak, a curator for the museum. "Even then, it's mostly about their history and not about what their lives are like now. No one wants to hear that their carefully laid plans might not work out like they thought they would.
"College students don't even think about getting old and their own mortality, but the future is out there. Seniors really aren't that different from the rest of us: they vote, they pay taxes, they pay rent, they live."
Troy Aossey, a professional photographer and graduate of ASU, created three series for the exhibit that tell the stories of the Sun City Jazzy Poms, a cheerleading group for senior citizens, a V.F.W. (Veterans of Foreign Wars) center in Phoenix and the residents of Westward Ho, a 76-year-old landmark hotel in Phoenix. Each is about senior citizens, but tells their stories in different ways.
"There were a few (people in the exhibit) a little more eccentric than the others, but definitely not shy about telling their stories," Aossey said. "It seemed they were excited someone was listening, especially the Jazzy Poms. The ladies are witty, funny and energized, and it seems like they're just starting out in life, which makes me wonder what they were like back then."
Aossey also created a book based on the interviews he did for the three series; it is for sale at the art museum.
"We all have stereotypes, but these photos break them -- all mine were shattered, like seeing the amount of energy and fun they have at the V.F.W. I think they're having more fun than me," Aossey said.
"When I Grow Up" can be viewed at the ASU Art Museum for free through Sept. 11.
Reach the reporter at annemarie.moody@asu.edu.
