Art and Culture in an Aging Maine

Abstract

Lois Lamdin and Willard Hertz, active “retirees” who have chosen to settle in Maine after long and distinguished careers, give an account of the ways in which Maine’s current senior population plays a major role in ensuring the liveliness and durability of the state’s arts and cultural organizations. They give examples of the four ways that seniors affect the well-being and economic health of these organizations: as volunteers, as financial supporters, as active producers, and as consumers. They note that the most pressing challenge is to prepare for the inevitable departure of today’s seniors, and wonder whether today’s baby boomers as they move into their older years will have the same kinds of commitments to the arts as did their parents and grandparents.