FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2025
Making Meaning: The Transformative Art of Creative Aging
Exhibition & Events at 40 West Gallery Celebrate Lifelong Creativity
On View May 2 – June 1, 2025
Lakewood, CO – Making Meaning: The Transformative Art of Creative Aging is a multidisciplinary exhibition that honors the profound power of lifelong creativity. On view at 40 West Gallery from May 2 -June 1, 2025, and presented by Think 360 Arts for Learning, this showcase uplifts the voices and visions of professional teaching artists and older adult participants from communities across Colorado. An opening reception will be held on Friday, May 2, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM, and a special event is planned for Saturday, May 10, 3:00 – 5:00 PM – both events are free and open to the public.
This exhibition features a special spotlight on acclaimed Colorado artist Irene Delka McCray, whose Mother series offers a deeply intimate exploration of aging, memory, and care. Created in response to her experiencing caretaking for her mother as she lived with Alzheimer’s, McCray’s large-scale hyper-realistic paintings and drawings summon a powerful meditation on love, loss, and the visibility of elders in a society that too often overlooks them. Through a profound end of life collaboration with her mother, McCray’s work is a visual act of remembrance and resistance—elevating elderhood as a sacred, complex and beautiful stage of life.
The exhibition is co-curated by Think 360 Arts Teaching Artist and board member Dona Laurita and Think 360 Arts Executive Director Daisy Fodness-McGowan. For nearly a decade, Think 360 Arts has been a leading voice in the Creative Aging movement across Colorado and nationally. Research show that experiences creating art, whether it is dance, music, visual arts, writing/storytelling or theater, increase mental health, resilience, and social connection in older adults. At a time when the “loneliness epidemic” continues to impact communities nationwide, Making Meaning: The Transformative Art of Creative Aging offers a reminder that creativity is not only life-affirming—it is life-extending. Fodness McGowan states: “Creative Aging reminds us of something that artists know to be true – that art-making doesn’t end with age, it deepens. This exhibition celebrates the joy, wisdom, and vitality that creativity brings to later life.”
Featured Events:
Opening Reception – First Friday Art Walk
Friday, May 3 | 6:00–9:00 PM
Celebrate the opening of Making Meaning with refreshments, and a first look at the powerful Mother series by Irene Delka McCray, and the art of Think 360 teaching artists and Creative Aging participants.
Community Block Party Celebration
Saturday, May 10 | 3:00–5:00 PM
A joyful afternoon of live music by Think 360 teaching artists, games, refreshments, and community highlights.
Spring Reading & Literary Magazine Launch with Andrea Asali
Thursday, May 22 | 1:00–3:00 PM
Join teaching artist Andrea Asali and older adult writers for a celebratory reading of original works and the release of the 2025 issue of SemiArid, a literary magazine.
All events will be held a 40 West Gallery, 6501 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood, CO 80214
Gallery Hours: Wed–Thurs 12–4 PM, Fri 12-4 PM and 6–9 PM, Sat–Sun 12–5 PM
About Think 360 Arts for Learning
Think 360 Arts is a nonprofit organization committed to advancing arts education and community engagement throughout Colorado. Through partnerships with schools, libraries, older adult communities, and beyond, Think 360 connects professional teaching artists with people of all ages, affirming that creativity is a lifelong right.
Acknowledgments
Making Meaning: The Transformative Art of Creative Aging is made possible thanks to the generous support of 40 West Arts District, Colorado Creative Industries, the Denver Commission on Aging 2024 EDI Award for Think 360 Arts, and the dedicated community of donors, teaching artists, and older adult participants who bring this work to life.
For media inquiries, images, or to schedule interviews:
Daisy Fodness-McGowan | Executive Director, Think 360 Arts
daisy@think360arts.org | (303) 555-1234
www.think360arts.org