Creativity blooms with age in PCA’s Celebrate Arts & Aging exhibition
The 2026 signature artwork is “Brilliant in Blue,” an oil painting by Russell Williams, 69.
Every spring, Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) offers a public reminder that creativity does not retire.
PCA’s 24th annual Celebrate Arts & Aging exhibition showcases the work of older artists from across the Philadelphia region. Paintings, drawings, prints and photographs turn into something larger than an art show. The exhibition is, in many ways, a statement about aging itself. Later life can represent imagination, growth and self-discovery.
The program highlights the talents of adults age 55 and older during May, in recognition of Older Americans Month.
This year’s exhibition features 140 works of art. Each piece ref lects a distinct voice and point of view. Some pieces captured beauty in everyday scenes. Others reveal a memory, emotion or personal history. Together, they offer a vivid portrait of older adulthood. It is not a period of slowing down. It is a stage of life still rich with perspective and possibility.
The exhibition will again feature both an online gallery and in-person exhibits across the city. Sites include Center on the Hill, South Philadelphia Older Adult Center and West Philadelphia Senior Community Center. This allows the artwork to reach viewers both digitally and in neighborhood spaces, where the artists’ stories can feel especially close to home.
For many participants, the show is about more than having their work displayed. It is about being seen.
Creative expression can offer older adults an outlet for reflection, connection and joy. It also helps to reduce the isolation that so often shadows later life. In that sense, Celebrate Arts & Aging is not only an exhibition. It is also an affirmation — of voice, identity and continued possibility.
“We believe that age should never limit a person’s ability to express themselves creatively,” said Michael Drzik, PCA’s special events manager. “Celebrate Arts & Aging gives older adults an opportunity to showcase their talents and connect with others. It reminds us all that creativity can flourish at every stage of life.”
PCA President and CEO Najja R. Orr said the exhibition continues to push back against narrow assumptions about aging and who older adults are.
“Older adults have extraordinary stories to tell,” Orr said. “Celebrate Arts & Aging gives them a canvas, literally and figuratively, to share those experiences. This exhibition is a celebration of imagination, resilience and the beauty that exists in every generation.”
Among the artists featured this year is Russell Williams, 69, of Philadelphia. He will serve as PCA’s signature artist for the 2026 exhibition. Williams’ oil-on-canvas painting, “Brilliant in Blue,” highlights the show’s larger message: Creativity deepens with experience. Art can become a way of translating a lifetime of feeling into something others can see.
For Williams, painting is both personal and connective.
“Creating art has given me a meaningful way to reflect on my life, express what matters to me and share a part of myself with others,” Williams said. “Painting allows me to turn my thoughts, memories and emotions into something people can see and feel. Being part of Celebrate Arts & Aging is very special to me because it shows that creativity does not fade with age — it continues to grow, evolve and bring joy, purpose and connection.”
That idea sits at the heart of the exhibition. Year after year, Celebrate Arts & Aging invites the public to reconsider what it means to grow older. The work on display is not nostalgic or symbolic. It is immediate, alive and deeply individual. On gallery walls in community spaces across Philadelphia, it makes one thing clear: creativity knows no age.
PCA’s 2026 Celebrate Arts & Aging is sponsored by PECO, Always Best Care Senior Services and Jefferson Health Plans. For information go to, www.pcaCares.org/art.
