Boomers and Aging Parents

Lois Fiore's portrait of herself with her
mother, part of an exhibition on boomers
and their parents at the Brickbottom
Gallery in Somerville, Mass.




Close-up of Lois' painting shows the
anguish of watching a parent age.




Lois Fiore (left) discusses the exhibition
with a visitor to the gallery.


One of the facts of life we boomers face is the aging and passing of our parents. Many of us have lost one or both parents. Many are caring for elderly parents. These difficult emotional experiences were the subject of a recent exhibition at the Brickbottom Gallery in Somerville, Mass. The exhibition was called
A Certain Journey: Reflections on Lives Passing.

The collection included photographs, paintings, collages, and collections of objects from Boston area artists who explore the emotions of seeing parents decline in their later years.

Artists in the show included Susanna Darling, Riki Moss, Ted Prato, Beverly Sky, and Lois Fiore, who was also curator for the exhibit.

I attended the exhibition opening. Photographer Bill Charette shot video of the art work and interviews with some of the artists. Images from the video are shown above.

The Boston Globe published a moving editorial about the art work and some of the issues around boomers and their aging parents. Here is an excerpt:

It is said that the child becomes parent to the aging parent, but the role bears little resemblance to that of guiding and nurturing youth. Guardians of failing octogenarians know that time is painfully short and then hate themselves for thinking that a Sunday-afternoon visit seems interminably long.

The adult child grieves for the person the parent used to be before the illness, the fall, or the memory loss. Occasionally that person shows up in a burst of humor, in the perfect recitation of a poem, or an insightful question about the adult child's slumping shoulders and tired face.

A link to the full editorial is available from the gallery web site.

Listen as curator Lois Fiore talks about the exhibition and reaction to the work, including a strong response from her own mother who is depicted
in the powerful mother-daughter portrait shown above.