Although the Age of Aging often focuses on science, art has been a recurring theme. In Season 2, Episode 2, “Diet, Exercise, and... Doodling?”, we explored how creativity can support longevity. However, beyond art’s apparent health benefits, making and consuming art can also help us better understand the experience of aging. In many ways, the change and loss associated with aging are best understood through art.

Today’s episode of the Age of Aging looks once again at art creation in aging through the stories and work of three artists living with brain disease.

Joe Vanek, a stage designer for more than 40 years, experienced a stroke that changed how he viewed time and creativity.
Scott LaMascus left graduate school in poetry to care for his father with ALS, finding meaning through writing and reflection.
Neesa Becker-Procaccino, a professional illustrator, stopped working after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis but returned to art as a way to heal and connect.

Each artist faced disruption. Yet through art, each found a way to continue creating and redefining identity in the face of illness.

Resources available on the episode webpage linked below

• Watch the full video featuring Neesa Becker-Procaccino

• Learn more about Joe Vanek

• Read more of Joe Vanek’s story

• Read “Dispatches from the Dark Side of the Moon” and “Hesitant Light”

• Check out more of Joe Vanek’s illustrations

  • Saint Patrick

  • The Queen of Hearts

  • Our Lady Guadalupe

  • The Child of Prague

  • Nutcracker

  • The Snow Queen

• Follow Joe Vanek on Instagram

• Learn more about Scott LaMascus

• Read The Edited Tongue: A Family’s Year with ALS

• Follow Scott Lamascus on Instagram

• Visti The Center for Emerging Visual Artists’ website

Special thanks to Joe Vanek, Scott LaMascus, PhD, and Neesa Becker-Procaccino for being a part of this episode.

The Age of Aging is a Penn Memory Center production hosted by Editorial Director Terrence Casey and Producer Jake Johnson, in partnership with the Penn FTD Center, the Penn Institute on Aging, and Penn’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Contributors include Nicolette Calcavecchia, Dalia Elsaid, Jason Karlawish, Emily Largent, and Meaghan Sharp.

The Age of Aging is made possible by generous support from the Michael Naidoff Communications Hub fund and our sponsor, the TIAA Institute. The TIAA Institute is a think tank committed to building knowledge that advances lifelong financial security and well-being while considering the intersections of health and wealth. Their cutting-edge research provides actionable financial and longevity insights that help individuals and employers navigate the complex journey of aging.