The Elderhood Project

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. Frailty. Decline. Irrelevance. Yet the women I was meeting, and becoming one of myself, didn't fit that story at all. They were funny, courageous, opinionated, creative, generous, and carrying decades of knowledge that rarely gets acknowledged.

So I started asking a different question.

What if we stopped thinking about becoming elderly, and started thinking about becoming Elders?

Through portraiture, storytelling and collaborative public programs, The Elderhood Project celebrates the wisdom, humour, resilience and lived experience of older women, while creating opportunities for younger generations to meet them, learn from them, and imagine ageing differently.

The project has grown well beyond an exhibition. It has become a series of conversations, collaborations and creative exchanges involving elders, university students, dancers, artists and the wider community. Two exhibitions have brought together large-scale portraiture, neon signage, audio storytelling, participatory installations and public events that invite audiences to become part of the work rather than simply observe it.

At the centre of every portrait is a real woman and a real story. Long interviews uncover the moments that shaped each participant's life, from heartbreak and humour to resilience, reinvention and joy. These conversations inform portraits that celebrate each woman as she chooses to be seen.

Alongside the artworks, public programs create spaces where generations come together. Portrait drawing sessions, dance exchanges, artist talks, panel discussions, round-table conversations and collaborative workshops encourage genuine connection, reminding us that wisdom doesn't belong in history books. It belongs in people.

Rather than presenting ageing as something to dread, The Elderhood Project celebrates it as a stage of growth, contribution and possibility. It invites us to see older women not as people quietly disappearing from public life, but as active knowledge holders whose stories have enormous value for all generations.

Ultimately, The Elderhood Project isn't only about older women.

It's about all of us.

Because if we can learn to value our Elders, perhaps we'll also learn to value ourselves.