October 16-22, 2003

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"Elder Grace:
The Nobility of Aging"

by Tricia Ferdinand

art

How many times did your mother tell you to respect your elders when you were a kid? You may not have grasped the importance then, but as time crawled by you may have noticed that you haven't been giving senior citizens as much appreciation as they deserve. Fortunately, because beauty and grace seem to be characteristics not usually associated with the aged members of our society, The African American Museum in Philadelphia is opening an exhibit this week called Elder Grace: The Nobility of Aging, featuring portraits of African-American senior citizens taken by The New York Times photographer Chester Higgins Jr. (like the one at right, of Anatole Perkins). The museum's curator of collections and exhibitions, Diane Turner, says, it was a good time to show the beauty of aging, seeing the start of the school year as an opportunity to show children the wisdom and experience of the elderly. The exhibition consists of about 60 portraits of various members of the African-American diaspora, many of them well known. Higgins photographed sculptor Elizabeth Catlett, for example, as well as professors, writers and other professionals. However, the exhibit is not limited to famous people; in fact, Higgins' very first subjects were people he knew and those elders who somehow had some effect on his childhood in New Brockton, Ala. If nothing else, this show is sure to re-inspire our appreciation for the elderly.

"Elder Grace: The Nobility of Aging," Oct. 16-Dec. 30, $4-$6, The African American Museum in Philadelphia, 701 Arch St., 215-574-0380.

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