Senior Programs

Senior Programs	Senior Programs Open Access Days Senior Center Slide Talks Senior Studio Art Courses Teleconference Courses Sponsors
	Senior Programs Since 1994, the Whitney has worked on a collaborative basis with some of the most vital, community-based senior organizations, centers and homes throughout New York City. We offer a range of unique programs and resources, free of charge through the Museum, that provide exceptional opportunities for intellectual stimulation and self-expression. Through private tours of exhibitions at the Whitney, slide show presentations at senior centers and homes, hands-on art-making minicourses, and teleconference lectures for homebound seniors, the Whitney provides personalized experiences for senior communities and an inroad into the diversity and richness of American art and culture. Please be advised that Senior Programs are run in collaboration with community senior centers only. For information on participating in or scheduling any Senior Program, directors of senior organizations, centers and homes should call 212.570.7712 • Seniors who are interested in participating in a Whitney Senior Program should speak to the director of their local senior center. The Whitney also offers a special membership category for individual seniors. Proof of age must accompany the application. Please click here for more information on our annual Senior Membership. Back to top
Photograph by Tiffany Oelfke	Open Access Days These special days, hosted four times annually, provide interested groups from senior centers with full access to the entire Museum on a day when the Whitney is not open to the public, allowing seniors the opportunity to explore the galleries at their own pace. All participants are given a guided tour led by Whitney Teaching Fellows, upper level graduate students in art history; docents; or the artists themselves. These in-depth discussions allow seniors to learn in an intimate setting about the art-making process and history of specific works, while engaging directly with the themes and narratives of exhibitions on view. Seating is provided in the galleries for comfort and convenience, and complimentary refreshments are available throughout the day in the Whitney’s café. For events at the Whitney, the Whitney’s Education Department is committed to providing all accommodations necessary for the seniors’ comfort, including seating throughout the Museum, free beverages and snacks, hearing amplification device and sign-language interpreted tours and discussions. The Museum is always wheelchair and walker accessible and can accommodate any other necessary needs. For all Senior Programs, seniors are assisted by Whitney staff members specially trained to work with an older population. Back to top
Photograph by Tiffany Oelfke	Senior Center Slide Talks These interactive slide-based lectures at senior centers and homes offer participants a special preview of upcoming exhibitions and a comprehensive learning experience around an array of Whitney-related topics, while also providing the opportunity to reach seniors unable to travel to the Museum. For each Senior Center Slide Talk, a Whitney Teaching Fellow or docent provides an illustrated thematic overview of a select group of artwork, placing the works in their art historical context, and engages the seniors in a dialogue regarding the lecture topic. Senior Center Slide Talks focus on a variety of subjects, including current and upcoming exhibitions, the Whitney permanent collection, and other Whitney-related topics, such as “Whitney Women,” a look at women artists in the Whitney’s permanent collection; and “All Roads Lead to New York,” a survey of émigré artist in the collection and their experiences in 20th-century New York. Back to top
Photograph by Tiffany Oelfke	Senior Studio Art Courses The Whitney’s Senior Studio Art Courses offer an accessible, collaborative environment in which seniors share in a hands-on process of creative expression. Following the completion of each art-making course, participating seniors and friends are invited to the Museum for a celebration where completed works are displayed and seniors can discuss their ideas and experiences. • Launched in 2002, our Collage Course is an extended art-making program scheduled over 6 weeks each fall and spring that allows seniors to explore their personal histories through the collage aesthetic and its applications in 20th-century and contemporary American art. Lectures and art-making at the senior centers are integrated with a museum visit to provide a framework for the collage project and an opportunity to learn more about 20th-century American art and culture through the Whitney’s collection. • Also offered every fall and spring, the Whitney’s 4-week Mini-Course is devoted to focused engagement with works on view at the Museum. The mini-courses include an introductory slide talk and discussion at the senior center; an object-driven tour at the Museum, with observation-based journal and sketching exercises; and two hands-on art-making sessions where seniors complete projects with an eye toward the materials, techniques and themes of a show. Back to top
Photograph by Tiffany Oelfke	Teleconference Courses Extending the Whitney walls to homebound seniors, the Museum’s Teleconference Courses are offered through the Meals on Wheels programs of senior centers and homes. For each course, Museum Teaching Fellows or docents mail packets of color images that seniors reference as a visual aid during multi-session lectures conducted over the telephone. Through the use of teleconference technology provided by the senior centers, participants can engage in an open forum with a Whitney lecturer and with one another from the comfort of their homes. Back to top
	Sponsors Senior Programs are made possible by the generous support of the Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation, Inc. Major support has been provided by Eisai Inc. Back to top