The Elderhood Project
Celebrating the wisdom of older women
and creating meaningful connections
between generations.
The Elderhood Project is an evolving, socially engaged art project exploring what it means to become an Elder in contemporary Australia.
It began with one little word: elderly.
That single word carries so much baggage.
Decline. Invisibility. Irrelevance.
Yet the women I know don’t fit that story.
They are funny, courageous, opinionated, creative, generous, and carrying decades of knowledge that rarely gets acknowledged,
and even rarer; is asked to be shared.
So I started asking
What if my culture reinstated the
concept of Elderhood?
“Wisdom isn’t something you get Ali, it’s something you accumulate along the way”
Mim - Elder
Why The Elderhood Project?
Our culture spends a lot of time talking about ageing, but very little time celebrating it.
The Elderhood Project invites us to see older women not through the lens of decline, but as holders of knowledge, humour, resilience and lived experience. By bringing generations together through art, conversation and creativity, the project asks what becomes possible when wisdom is valued rather than overlooked.
Project Highlights
Since 2025, The Elderhood Project has included:
7 women celebrated through
portraiture, storytelling and collaboration
2 major exhibitions
1 university partnership
4 intergenerational workshops and public programs
4 artist talks and panel discussions
Collaborations with artists, students, community organisations and volunteers
Supported through 2 successful grant programs
Why now? Australia has an ageing population, yet older women remain underrepresented in our cultural narratives. At a time when many people fear growing older, The Elderhood Project offers a different story, one that celebrates wisdom, lived experience and the value of intergenerational connection. Through art, it asks not what we lose as we age, but what we can all gain, no matter your age.
What's next? The project welcomes opportunities to partner with galleries, councils, schools, universities and community organisations across Australia. The Project was never intended to end with a single exhibition. It continues to grow through new portraits, collaborations, exhibitions, workshops and community partnerships that celebrate the wisdom of older women and strengthen connections between generations.
Future iterations will respond to the communities they are created with, ensuring the project continues to evolve while staying true to its purpose: creating a culture that values ageing as a source of knowledge, generosity and possibility. Like life, it grows and ‘accumulates wisdom’ along the way.
Bring The Elderhood Project to your community
The project is available for exhibitions, touring, artist talks, community partnerships, and collaborative community programs.
If you'd like to discuss an exhibition, artist talk, commission, workshop or partnership, I'd love to hear from you. Contact Ali
ELDERS PORTRAITS
Portraits celebrate the individuality, humour and wisdom of each participant while challenging stereotypes about ageing.
EXHIBITION
The exhibition invites visitors to slow down, listen and reconsider what it means to become an Elder.
Connection
Intergenerational: portrait drawing workshop, dance exchange, roundtable convos, panel discussion - laughing, making, listening.
The project extends beyond the gallery through creative experiences that bring generations together.
Hundreds of meaningful conversations about ageing, wisdom and belonging
Portrait commissions created in collaboration with participants
Recorded oral histories
University partnership (ACU)
Student collaborators
Community workshops
Artist talks
Public conversations
Intergenerational dance exchange
Drawn Over Time portrait drawing workshop
Audio installation
Ongoing development over two years