eISBN: 9781483539690
ISBN: 9780978519209 (printed book, 2006) Copyright ©2006 by Amy Gorman
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher, except for the brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information contact the publisher.
Design: Kathy Lee. Litho Process, Alameda, CA
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication
Gorman, Amy.
Aging artfully : 12 profiles : visual & performing women artists aged 85-105
Amy Gorman. – 1st ed.
p. cm.
LCCN 2006905450
1. Older artists – California – San Francisco Bay Area – Biography.
2. Women artists – California – San Francisco Bay Area – Biography.
3. Aging. 4. Self-actualization (Psychology) in old age.
5. Women – Health and hygiene.
6. San Francisco Bay Area (Calif.) – Biography. I. Kandl, Frances. 7 songs of women.
II. Title. III. Title: Visual & performing women artists aged 85-105.
IV. Title: Visual and performing women artists aged 85-105.
N8356.A43G67 2006 | 704’.0846’09227946 |
QBI06-600261
Photos - front cover: Lily Hearst, 105, pianist, photo: Ira Nowinski
Mary Beth Washington aka Orunamamu, 85, storyteller, photo: Amy Gorman
Frances Catlett, 97, painter: background art
Photos - back page: from left to right - Dorothy Takahashi Toy, tap dancer; Frances Catlett, painter; Faith Petric, folk singer; Grace Gildersleeve, rug braider; Isabel Ferguson, aka Betty Peterson, actor, painter, illustrator, assemblage artist; Stella Toogood Cope, storyteller; Madeline Mason, doll maker, sculptor; Elsie Ogata, ikebana artist; Rosa Maria Morales Escobar, singer, folklorico dancer; Ann Davlin, aka Grace Lowell, dancer
CONTENTS*
Dedication
Acknowledgments, 2006
On Creativity: Isabel Ferguson
Introduction, 2014
Additional References, 2014
Introduction, 2006: Amy Gorman
I: Sonata In Three Centuries
LILY HEARST, 107, PIANIST*
Composer’s note:
Tea and the Melting Pot: Lily and my mom written by Frances Kandl
II: The Elegant Canvas
FRANCES CATLETT, 97, PAINTER
III: Jung And Dancing from the Inside Out
ANN DAVLIN, aka GRACE LOWELL, 95, DANCER
IV: Yellowlegs, The Storyteller
MARY BETH WASHINGTON, aka ORUNAMAMU, 85 STORYTELLER
V: The Asian Ginger Rogers
DOROTHY TAKAHASHI TOY, 88, TAP DANCE
VI: The Fort Knox of Folk Music
FAITH PETRIC, 90, FOLK SINGER
VII: Viva la Song and la Swirl
ROSA MARIA MORALES ESCOBAR, 82, SINGER, FOLKLORICO DANCER
VIII: From Rags to Rugs
GRACE GILDERSLEEVE, 94, RUG BRAIDER
IX: The Art of Arranging
ELSIE OGATA, 93, IKEBANA ARTIST
X: Tales from Bristol to Berkeley
STELLA TOOGOOD COPE, 90, STORYTELLER*
XI: Oh, What a Beautiful Doll!
MADELINE MASON, 104, DOLL MAKER, SCULPTOR
XII: Reflections More Light Than Dark
ISABEL FERGUSON, aka, BETTY PETERSON, 89 ACTOR, PAINTER, ILLUSTRATOR, ASSEMBLAGE ARTIST
Author’s Profile: Amy Gorman
Composer’s Profile: Frances Kandl
*The ages stated are the ages of the women in 2006, except for Lily Hearst and Stella Toogood Cope, who predeceased publication of this book.
DEDICATION
To the memories of my parents
Minna Schrank Wiltchik 1903-1976
Philip Wiltchik 1907-1978
and
my maternal grandmother Fannie Bisgeier Schrank 1888-1956
For your devoted love
and
In memory of Stella Toogood Cope and Lily Hearst
and
2014: Since publication in 2006,
these women have passed, with their ages stated:
Madeline Mason, 105
Ann Davlin (Grace Lowell), 98
Grace Gildersleeve, 101
Faith Petric, 98
Frances Catlett, 105
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have many people to thank.
First and most important, I thank the 12 women who with open hearts shared their personal lives with me. The trust and generosity of spirit shown me proved invaluable in the process of writing their stories. I am indebted to all the family members of those interviewed for continued interest and cooperation.
For suggesting wonderful women for this project some of whom were interviewed, others not, I thank Hal Aigner, Janet Carnay*, Sherlyn Chew, Donna Davis, Mijo Horwitz, Maria Micossi-James, Betty Kano, David Lei, Lili Lim, Raquel Lopez, Rina Margolin, Mari Perez, Janet Petroni, Naomi Puro, Eleanor Walden, Empress Yee.
For reading early versions of the profiles and offering encouragement and conversation, I thank Maureen Farr, Jessica Heriot, Annette Hess, Joan Krasner Leighton, (Phyllis) Teddy Milder*, Susan Parker, Jacqueline Rouse, Diana Shye, Lois Silverstein, Annita Clark Weaver.
For adding an unusual touch of beauty and warmth to the project, I thank the musicians of the Crones’ Kwartet: Debra Golata, Cathy Allen and Rachel Durling, who lent their valuable time, with Frances Kandl, to rehearse and perform the songs on the CD and DVD.
For inestimable help along the way, I thank the following people: Connie Andersen, Susan Barnert, Ernest Bicknell, Debbie Brennan, Joe Brennan, Vangie Elkins Buell, Patty Caouette, Ming Chi Carroll, George Cohen, Kathy Connelly, Pauline Cutress, Rose Dodds, Margret Elson, Estelle Freedman, Judith-Kate Friedman, Audrey Goodfriend, Margarita Hernandez, Stu Kandell, Sara Katz, Renya Larson, Carol Levy, Brian Lipson, Susan Lundgren, Mary Lyons, Kate Marks, Paul Matzner, Maria Mayoral, Oakland Museum of California (Marcia Eymann, Barbara Henry), Jorge Santis, Margot Smith, Sherry Streeter, Marion Thompson, Sharon Thompson, Judith Turiel, Stephanie Weber, Warren Wechsler, Paul Weisser, Mark Wong, Avis Worthington, Greg Young.
For ingenious ways with design, I am indebted to Kathy Lee, and I thank her for working beyond the call of duty.
For editorial and writing assistance I extend special thanks to Paulette Burnard, Arnie Passman, and Anne Rowe.
For her unflagging patience and enthusiasm I thank Patricia R. Elmore, without whose editorial help I would still be bogged down in the Introduction.
My husband, George C. Gorman, is a constant ray of sunshine in my life. He provides a daily dose of humor for which I am ever grateful. During this project he gave me the greatest gift of support, which was staying out of my way.
My adult sons, Ari and Phil, are always there for me in the cheering section.
I thank them most of all for teaching me about love.
I extend deep gratitude to those mentioned above, and to those I may have omitted inadvertently.
* Names inadvertently omitted from the original, with sincere apologies.
ON CREATIVITY
Down in front of my apartment building I stood waiting for a friend…Near me, barely visible in the tall grass, a pipe started spewing soap suds. I could smell laundry detergent…Two little girls came by. They squatted down to look. I heard them saying something like, “Magic! Magic bubbles! Fairy foam? Yes! Coming up from way, way down deep in the earth when there’s a magic…” At that point a Grown Up came hurrying along. She paused just long enough to look down at the children and say in a loud voice, “That’s overflow from some washing machine up in the apartment building.” She hurried on. The little girls immediately scrambled to their feet and ran away. How I wish the Grown Up had kept quiet. Magic! Washing machines! The children had been building a fairy tale – imagining, creating.
Isabel Ferguson, age 89, April, 2006
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once one grows up.”
Pablo Picasso
INTRODUCTION
April 2014
At 74 I am living more years than any of my parents or grandparents did. This time of life is deep and rich for me and I can thank good health, in part.
I can also thank the women and families I interviewed for Aging Artfully (www.agingartfully.com), several of whom are still in my life, still moving me. Following the publication of the book and Greg Young’s film, “Still Kicking” (www.goldenbearcasting.com) which profiled 6 of the women in the book, all over 90, I traveled the country for almost 4 years showing the film and speaking of aging and creativity. Thousands of people were touched, renewed, inspired, some to return to piano playing or painting, others to start their own support groups for seniors within their communities.
In the past 20 years, academic researchers, journalists, the New Left and the New Age have combined to give renewed respect to the elderly, and an irrepressible far more exhilarating old age than in previous generations. Following on the progressive civil rights, anti-war and women’s movements, this acceptance and encouragement is a forerunner to the inclusion (the “age wave”) of 75,000,000 baby boomers into the annals of the old. Ten thousand people in the U.S. turn 65 every day.
This is not to deny that we get old (if we are lucky) and it’s not all pretty. Physical immobility, cognitive limitations, advanced disease come to mind. Transportation, housing and feelings of isolation are major issues. Our needs are decidedly different than they were at 30 or 40, and our challenge is to adapt to the changes.
Several of the writers and thinkers acknowledged (below, alphabetically) speak to the severe challenges many of our elders face. We have a long way to go, baby, to find solutions to a more just economy, healthcare for all, affordable housing for seniors, and a dignified dying and death. I am indebted to these people for teaching me new ways to think about aging.
Robert Butler, psychiatrist and gerontologist, coined the term “life review,” the creative process elders use to reminisce about their lives. As a Pulitzer-prize winning author he moved the nation forward in understanding and working with elders so their full capacities are realized;
Tim Carpenter, Founder of EngAGE, social entrepreneur and host/producer of the EXPERIENCE TALKS radio show out of Los Angeles. EngAGE transforms communities into vibrant centers of learning, wellness and creativity. Experience Talks is a radio magazine that shines a light on the value of experience in society;
Ken Dychtwald was the 2013 recipient of the American Society on Aging Leadership Award. He promotes the notion that the demographic preponderance of the Boomers will transform our economic and social bases from a consumer society based on youth to one focused on the elderly;
Marc Freedman created Civic Ventures and wrote Encore Careers to appeal to seniors wanting to use their talents to develop new careers after “retirement,” and to promote volunteerism;
Becca Levy at Yale University writes and teaches about our biases and stereotypes about aging, and how they are directly associated with poor health in the aged;
Susan Perlstein who started the National Center for Creative Aging is a major mover and shaker who launched thousands of artists and projects benefitting seniors.
For contemplating older age, we can start with the personal such as the women in Aging Artfully, people who show us – given good health – how it is possible to enjoy and be active well into our later years. It is inspiring to me still, to read and hold in my heart-mind the stories of 12 creative women who shout out to us, “live in the moment, be present, dig deep into your passions, be persistent, complain as little as possible, worry little, move on.” These are some of the maxims that regularly reverberate in me since this book was published in 2006.
Five of the twelve women are still alive: Rosa Maria Morales Escobar, 90, Isabel Ferguson 97, Elsie Ogata, 101, Dorothy Toy, 96, and Mary Beth Washington, 92. I’ve had the privilege and honor of attending several gala birthday events for them, a time for celebration indeed.
My recent work has shifted to being a motivator and guide to other people over 60, who are, or are wanting to write their own life stories. The groups I facilitate are in the San Francisco Bay Area and will be based online as well. Reminiscence and life review are psychologically healthy for Boomers and beyond, and yes, pulling together the threads of one’s life is truly creative work – not to mention the legacy we leave for future generations.
Living longer is only a good thing if it means living well. My hope is that others who read this are presently enjoying this very moment,
Amy Gorman, M.S., M.S.W.
Berkeley, CA
www.agingartfully.com
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES FOR AGING ARTFULLY INTRO, 2014
Cohen, Gene, The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life, 2000, HarperCollins, New York www.creativeaging.org
Franklin, Steve and Adler, Lynn Peters 7 Secrets of Centenarians, PBS http://www.nextavenue.org/article/ 2013-08/7-life-secrets-centenarians
Freedman, Marc: http://www.encore.org/blog/marc-freedman/
Gillick, Muriel, The Denial of Aging : Perpetual Youth, Eternal Life and Other Dangerous Fantasies, 2007, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Hillman, James, The Force of Character , 1999, Random House, New York
Jacoby, Susan, Never Say Die : The Myth and Marketing of the New Old Age, 2011, Pantheon Books, New York
Levy, B. R., Slade, M. D., Murphy, T. E., & Gill, T. M. (2012). Association between Positive Age Stereotypes and Recovery from Disability in Older Persons. JAMA, 308, 1972-1973.
Nuland, Sherwin, How We Die , Reflections on Life’s Final Chapter, 1994, Alfred A Knopf, New York
Pillemer, Karl, 30 Lessons For Living : Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans, 2011, Plume/Penguin Press, New York
Richmond, Lew, Aging as a Spiritual Practice : A Contemplative Guide to Growing Older and Wiser, 2011 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lewis-richmond/aging-as-a-spiritual-prac_b_980156.html
Thomas, Bill, Second Wind: Navigating the Passage to a Slower, Deeper, and More Connected Life, 2014, Simon and Schuster, New York
INTRODUCTION TO AGING ARTFULLY
(original, 2006)
“Woke up one morning, age was on my mind.”
Amy Gorman
I held Lily Hearst’s 107-year old hands four days before she died, just three years after we met. My memory of her is a blessing I carry with me as I move through my own seventh decade.
Lily was the first of the remarkably vital women in the San Francisco Bay Area – all between 85 and 105 – whom I met and interviewed for this book. My friend and colleague, Frances Kandl, a composer and pianist, knew Lily. Curious about aging and wanting to explore it in all its dimensions, especially the artistic, I had asked Frances to introduce me to Lily and join me in a conversation with her.
At 105, Lily was the oldest person in Berkeley, California. She was a pianist who practiced scales and played pieces every day. Creativity was at the core of her very active daily existence.
In no time, Frances and I embarked on Project Arts and Longevity: I to interview the women and chronicle their life stories, Frances to write songs about them. We presented three performances of the songs, and the women were thrilled to have their lives honored and recorded. Frances performed on piano along with three musicians on cello, violin and voice.
Later, videographer Greg Young, who had already produced a film about Orunamamu, the free-spirited storyteller included in this volume, joined the project. Greg began filming the other women artists with whom we were conversing. His stirring documentary, Still Kicking , follows six of the women.
Aging Artfully is the culmination of this collaboration. Each of the twelve chapters profiles one of the interviewees, and is illustrated with photographs from her life (most of the 100+ photos are not included in the e-book). The CD of songs composed by Frances, “7 Songs of Women’s Lives,” is inserted in the back of most books.
All the dozen women interviewed for this book were living independently, and were still practicing artists at the time of the interviews. You may not find much about them through a Google search, but each of them, to varying degrees, has achieved at least a modicum of recognition for her chosen artistic endeavor.
I chose the 85 year mark as a starting point for many reasons. First, we have too long ignored the fact that the over-85 age segment is the fastest growing of our population. Second, half of all baby boomers will live at least to the age of 85.1 And sadly, almost half of all people over 85 have some degree of dementia.2 Our society is facing a demographic revolution – are we ready?
Until now, few studies have focused on the impact of creative activities on the over-85 age population, but there is reason to believe that creative engagement significantly contributes to what we might call “successful aging.” The largest study ever conducted on aging in the United States – entitled Successful Aging and published by researchers John Rowe and Robert Kahn in 1999 – found that nvolvement in social and recreational activities [including the arts] is one of three key factors in “successful aging” (author’s italics).
Gene Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Center on Aging, Health and Humanities at George Washington University spoke at the White House Conference on Aging in December, 2005 as the nation’s leaders in aging convened to shape government policy for the next decade. His long-term research on creativity and the elderly indicates that seniors who participate in arts activities enjoy better overall health, visit doctors less frequently and use less medicine, to name a few of the benefits.
The impact of the research could have a profound impact not only on the quality of life for the very old, but on the economic well-being of the country. For example, we might see huge decreases in Medicare/Medicaid spending.3
In writing this book, I encountered many surprises. Some of the questions I asked the women did not interest them at all – they could not pinpoint their artistic regrets, how they might have done things differently, or advice they would give younger artists struggling with the creative process. What did interest them was conversation, so sorely absent in their worlds where many friends and family have died or live far away.
Many of the women discovered their art late in life; others were dancing or singing almost from the cradle. For all of them, art is the central force that keeps them going, sustaining them in the ninth decade and beyond. Their art is now so deeply ingrained in their beings that they cannot separate it from themselves. The art and the person have merged.
None of them complained; they have no time or inclination to ruminate or dwell on negative thoughts. They accept their limitations and get through the tough times with a resilience they have learned over a lifetime. All the women eagerly welcomed the opportunity to share their lives, especially to talk about their art, and they continue to do their art no matter what.
As independent thinkers they form a Hallelujah Chorus, if you will, saying, “No thank you, but I’d like to stay at home as long as I am able.” All are healthy women, having dodged chronic illness. Each follows a regular schedule of activities, looks forward to every moment. Indeed, they live in the here and now.