New grants confront ageism at museums

E.A. Michelson Philanthropy has given $2 million to nine museums.

It gives new meaning to the term “Old Masters.”

Although many consider museums to be hospitable, tolerant spaces, it turns out that they too have room for growth when it comes to welcoming older visitors and identifying and mitigating ageism.

The Minneapolis-based foundation E.A. Michelson Philanthropy’s new Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums is giving more than $2 million over 18-months to nine major museums in an effort to support “creative aging” programs for visitors 55 and above.

Credit: Anchorage Museum

As I reported in artnet, the cohort is:

1. Brooklyn Museum

2. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

3. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

4. Los Angeles County Museum of Art

5. Minneapolis Institute of Art

6. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

7. New Orleans Museum of Art

8. Pérez Art Museum Miami

9. Utah Museum of Fine Arts.

I spoke to education department staff at two of the museums and to the head of the granting foundation. Here again is the link to my artnet story.