Monmouth University’s Center for the Arts and the LGBT+ Older Adult Project present “Aging and the Lived Experiences of Transgender and Gender Nonconforming (T/GNC) Older Adults: Narratives through Art” on view in the Pollak Gallery from Jan. 23 to March 11. As told in their own voices through art and film, the artists featured in this juried exhibit share some of the diverse lived experiences of transgender and gender nonconforming older adults (T/GNC).
The idea for the exhibition originated when Jeanne Koller, Ph.D., LCSW, assistant professor and coordinator for the LGBT+ Older Adult Project (OAP), hosted a virtual conference of the same name last year in Jan. 2022. One of the panels focused on the lived experiences of individuals who identify as T/GNC. Koller wanted to create a follow-up program that would increase the understanding of the diverse T/GNC older adult community, reaching a larger and more mixed audience using a different platform.
Partnering with the Center for the Arts, they developed a call for entries seeking artists and filmmakers aged 50 and older who identify as transgender or gender nonconforming whose art reflected their journey (emotional, psychological, and/or physical) to live their authentic selves. The artwork in the exhibition, which includes pieces by six artists from across the United States, celebrates the strength and resiliency of these individuals, while also sharing the painful challenges encountered. The purpose is to increase understanding and knowledge of the lives of T/GNC older adults while supporting Monmouth University’s commitment to creating an inclusive, affirming, and equitable campus community.
In conjunction with this gallery exhibition, there will also be a film screening/panel discussion of the film “From This Day Forward” with director Sharon Shattuck and her parents Trisha and Marcia Shattuck on Friday, Feb. 10 from 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. In the film, Sharon returns home to examine the mystery at the heart of her upbringing: How her transgender father, Trisha, and her straight-identified mother, Marcia, stayed together against all odds. Trisha’s artwork is also featured in the gallery exhibition. Following the film screening/panel discussion there will be an artist reception in the Pollak Gallery from 2-3 p.m.
Both the gallery exhibition and the film screening are free and open to the public and are sponsored by Monmouth University’s LGBT+ Older Adult Project, The Center for the Arts, and The Intercultural Center. For more information please visit monmouth.edu/MCA or call 732.263.5715.