Art News

Burden Center New Gallery Gives Artistic Voice to Older Artists

By Renée Phillips, The Artrepreneur Coach

When I was caring for my mother who had Alzheimer's taking her to an ordinary doctor became a terrifying experience for her. I was relieved to discover The Carter Burden Center for the Aging, http://www.burdencenter.org, a nonprofit organization and medical facility on the Upper Eastside of Manhattan. Everyone there was patient and offered such comfort during a very difficult time.

I just learned that they announced the opening of a new gallery and studio space, Gallery 307, located at 307 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1401, New York City, NY 10001 Phone 646-400-5254.

Th following information has been taken from a press release we received.

The Carter Burden Center's 800-square-foot gallery and studio, located among the vibrant art gallery scene in Chelsea, will focus on exhibiting "Outsider Art," including work by older artists who are self-taught and artists with special needs.

"The opening of our new Gallery 307 is designed to give an artistic voice to older people and provide a jumping off point for a population of underappreciated visual artists that they wouldn't normally have," says William Dionne, Executive Director of The Carter Burden Center for the Aging.

The opening of Gallery 307 is a major component of The Carter Burden Center for the Aging's program Making Art Work, bringing quality arts programming through workshops for seniors and others throughout the city taught by skilled artists.

The gallery will house professional exhibits and works by senior participants of Making Art Work. Making Art Work builds on the tradition of Elder Craftsmen, recently merged with The Carter Burden Center, by supporting the older population by tapping into their creativity.

Making Art Work teaching artists will offer art and craft workshops in senior centers and on site in the Gallery 307 studio space, in addition to bringing craft-making to the homebound elderly. Workshops will include the ever-popular quilting and handmade crafts for donation to hospital patients.

The program will also offer multi-generational art classes with registration open to the general public, for a fee, to be held at the studio space. In addition to community building through group activities, Making Art Work will hold Master Craft workshops specifically for staff and representatives of senior groups. These individuals will in turn teach members of their own groups popular and ethnically diverse crafts.

The Carter Burden Center for the Aging began 38 years ago, when the late City Councilman Carter Burden recognized an unmet need in his district on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Countless frail and elderly individuals, who had contributed to their neighborhood their entire lives, were now in need of help, in order to remain in their homes and participate in community life.

In 1971, with one social worker assigned to seniors in his district, the Center was opened in a small storefront in the East 80s of Manhattan. Today, The Carter Burden Center for the Aging serves thousands of people annually. It continues to meet the needs of the older population by developing innovative programs including Making Art Work and the opening of Gallery 307.

The Center recognizes gaps of service in the community and fills these needs-from the formation of a Chinese language group to nutritious meals to educating the public about the issues of elder abuse.

The Carter Burden Center for the Aging serves as a beacon for people age 60 and older who live in Manhattan. Its' mission is to promote the well-being of older adults through a broad array of direct social services and volunteer programs oriented to individual, family and community needs.

The Carter Burden Center is dedicated to supporting the efforts of older people to live independently, safely and with dignity. For more information, please visit www.burdencenter.org.

Renée Phillips is an author, writer and career consultant. She was the founder and publisher of Manhattan Arts International magazine from 1983-2000. Read her bio.

Read more articles by Renée Phillips.