With Time

–

When it comes to aging, we are living in strange times.

We are bombarded by advertisements for “anti-aging” products—quick fixes for smoothing wrinkles, revitalizing weary bodies, and returning us to younger versions of ourselves. Elixirs of youth fill store shelves and infiltrate social media feeds. Countering these efforts is an alternate chorus, one that reminds us that there is no such thing as “anti-aging,” and we should celebrate every age and stage with gratitude and grace.

a man smoking a pipe
Paul Strand (American, 1890–1976), Mr. Bennett (2), East Jamaica, Vermont, 1943, gelatin silver print (vintage) on paper, 6 x 4 1/2 inches. Collection of Middlebury College Museum of Art. Purchase with funds provided by the Christian A. Johnson Memorial Art Acquisition Fund, 2015.217.

Might there be a third narrative? The photographs in this exhibit range in date, but all feature older adults. None focuses on a choice these individuals made to either fight or embrace the aging process. Instead, the photographers approach their subjects with a spirit of curiosity. Some are portraits, and a few feature celebrities. In the main, though, these are studies of human beings who have simply become who they are with time.

This exhibit is presented in tandem with Time Keeping, concurrently on view at the Henry Sheldon Museum, which invites the public to consider “how time is kept, measured, worked, and recorded both individually and as part of collective history.”