Fullerton Museum Center looks to the ‘Wisdom of Older Women’
Photographer and author Donna Edman did not set out to fill a book with the wisdom of older women. The artist, who specializes in portraits and fine art photography, started taking portraits of older women as gifts. She then felt compelled to ask them to reflect on what advice they would give their younger selves.
“They were so interesting when I was photographing them, that I thought maybe I should add their stories,” said Edman.
The result is “Women of Wisdom,” a photography book that shares the personal wisdom of the women featured in its pages. Now, the book has been given a larger platform at Fullerton Museum Center as an exhibit, “Looking Back/Moving Forward: The Wisdom of Older Women.”
“This is an exhibit that I wanted to use to honor women over 50, to give them a voice and a platform to use that voice,” said Edman.
Now on display at Fullerton Museum Center until Aug. 6, the show features 49 portraits of women over 50 by Edman with an accompanying audio tour, with some of the women sharing the advice they would give to their 20-year-old selves. The photos are untouched and feature women from age 50 to 95, from all walks of life.
A portrait of 68-year-old Doralyn Seawell, for example, shows her dancing in a colorful ensemble that includes a patchwork blazer, layered necklaces and a headscarf. Her advice to her 20-year-old-self is to “stop changing yourself to make others happy.” A portrait of 95-year-old Barbra Johnson, in a blue blouse that emphasizes her blue eyes, offers this advice to her younger self: “Open your mind and heart to experience people of different faiths, races and cultures.”
Nearly half of the women photographed for the show attended the opening, said Elvia Susana Rubalcava, executive director of the Fullerton Museum Center.
“It was so great to watch them see their photographs up in a museum for the first time. It was really empowering,” said Rubalcava.
Giving a voice to older women was just as important to Rubalcava as it was to Edman.
“There are so many exhibits, but not a lot of them highlight and celebrate older women,” Rubalcava said. “So we wanted to focus the show on Donna’s work, but we also do a call-out to artists. I think we had over 200 people submit, and we have over 70 artists that are on display here.”
The museum tapped second-semester museum studies intern Sheri Meinburg to curate the public art companion show, “Girlhood to Cronehood.”
“Thanks to the California Arts Council, we have a two-year grant to bring in museum studies interns for a pipeline program so we can be an incubator,” said Rubalcava.
The Oxford dictionary harshly defines “crone” as “an ugly old woman.” In “Girlhood to Cronehood,” women get the opportunity to reclaim their authentic selves by exploring new definitions of “crone.”
“Let’s take those older women, those stereotypes and change it around,” said Meinburg. “We want to take that word and redefine it.”
Meinburg seeks to return the crone archetype to that of a midwife, a healer and a woman of wisdom. That idea is present in multiple pieces in different mediums showing the beauty in imperfections, with work from Magda Léon, Sarah Rafael Garcia, Elise Acosta, Marjorie Kerr, Miriam Shelton and more.
“It all came together in a very cohesive way, and these voices are being herd and those stories are being told,” said Meinburg.
To continue the celebration of women, the Fullerton Museum Center will host a Women’s Festival on July 22 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the downtown Fullerton Plaza. The event will include live performances, guest speakers and a “Restorative Circle: Women Healing Ourselves through Conversation,” led by educator and leadership coach Danielle Nava-Mijares and Wendy Guzman.
The event will also be a celebration for Fullerton Museum Center’s recent accolades including Nonprofit of the Year for state Sen. Josh Newman’s 29th district, an award of $4.5 million in state funding to support Fullerton Museum Center and Rubalcava’s Women of the Year award from Fullerton Councilman Ahmad Zahra.
“A few weeks ago when I got the phone call from the senator telling us they were able to get us $4.5 million in state funding, I couldn’t believe it,” said Rubalcava. “I started getting emotional and I cried a little bit.”
July 22 will also mark the second anniversary of the museum’s reopening after COVID-19 closures. The achievements means a lot to Rubalcava, the museum board and the staff.
“This funding means stability for the museum, it means longevity for the museum,” said Rubalcava. “It means we have a bright future.”
The Women’s Festival is free and open to people of all ages and genders. “Looking Back/Moving Forward” is on display until Aug. 6. Edman’s book, “Women of Wisdom” is available on her website.
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