Amy is the founder of The Geezer Gallery, and she has earned degrees in Interior Design, Business and Leadership, and Interdisciplinary Studies concentrating in Gerontology. She has a passion for championing senior citizens in the arts as well as creating a variety of therapeutic arts curricula which in turn lead to increased brain health, decreased depression, and improved social connections. She has established partnerships with Artists Repertory Theatre, OHSU, as well as utilizing existing populations at Station Place Tower, REACH, Mary’s Woods Juanita Pohl Center, Odd Fellows, Emerson House and others to explore these therapeutic interventions. A strong network of Sustainability Sponsors and Community Partners provide the wheels of exposure TGG strives to provide in this rich and culturally aware local environment.

Steve worked in Corporate Social Responsibility with Portland General Electric for nearly 25 years before retiring.  He has a strong commitment to community service and enjoys collaborating to maximize community relationships. Prior to PGE, he worked in a nursing facility providing daily activities for stimulation. He has long had a passion for the senior community and believes in treating our elders with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Linda Lawson is a passionate art appreciator with a strong commitment to building community and improving the quality of life for Oregonians. Professionally, she led legislative efforts in Washington, DC to ensure the views of governors and states are represented in federal legislation and national policy. She served as the administration’s representative on a White House interagency initiative to build better public access to federal programs and services. And most recently, she was an innovative leader in helping to transform and integrate workforce, post-secondary and human services programs in states across the nation. Linda enthusiastically harnesses her background to help advance The Geezer Gallery’s mission to bring therapeutic arts programs to elders in need in our community.

Marcia Director
Executive Director

Marcia Director was named executive director in 2019, after serving from 2012-2019 as development director to implement The Geezer Gallery’s development objectives. In addition to having a BA in political science and economics and an MA in public administration, she brings experience in fundraising at OMSI, Albertina Kerr Centers, Oregon College of Art & Craft and The Dougy Center. She has expanded The Geezer Gallery’s grant-seeking program, stewarded existing donors and cultivated potential new supporters, thereby strengthening relationships.

Candyce Scott
Administrator of Programs and Operations

Candyce Scott has been affiliated with The Geezer Gallery since 2011; first as an artist seeking representation, then as an art program facilitator. With an interdisciplinary degree from Marylhurst University in art and psychology she uses her knowledge to bring therapeutic art programs to older adults. As an artist she creates kinetic art to fill 2 and 3 story spaces. In the past she has been a small business owner, and has worked in public transportation as a computer technician. Today she also works part-time as a Residential Counselor for a drug and alcohol program.

Manuela Kalestiantz
Therapeutic Art Program Facilitator

Manuela was born in Lisbon, Portugal. She studied Fine Art at the Superior Academy of Fine Arts and received a BFA in painting and sculpting. In the US she worked as an assistant fragrance buyer for Nordstrom and a Market Manager for Clarins Fragrance Group / New York. Her love of art and giving back to the community attracted her to The Geezer Gallery as a therapeutic art assistant, and she then became a part of The Geezer Gallery staff.

Each month, you can look forward to a featured Geezer Gallery Artist in this area.

 Diana Jean Erickson

The Geezer Gallery is an arts organization devoted to showcasing Master Level senior artists and providing “art as therapy” programs, to the local senior community, giving voice through art to seniors in our community. The Geezer Gallery is a 501c3 organization.

The Geezer Gallery Vision

We envision a future where seniors redefine themselves as valuable contributors; a time when seniors view themselves as vital role models, worthy of acceptance and purpose.

We envision a future where physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health and vitality are achieved through creative artistic expression; where seniors are celebrated for their unique life experiences, contributions, and wisdom.

We imagine a future where the life stories of the older generation bring insight, epiphanies, laughter, joy, and healing to all generations.

We celebrate a future where attaining elderhood is viewed as a process of positive changes and a realm of new possibilities.

The Geezer Gallery in the News!

The Geezer Gallery is dedicated to supporting older adults as they experience the challenges and opportunities of aging. Research shows that active participation in professional art programming improves quality of life and promotes physical, mental and emotional health, and social engagement. Therefore, we engage older adults in therapeutic arts programs to positively impact their health and quality of life. The following are examples of our stellar, evidence-based therapeutic arts programs that are designed to meet the goals of mastery and social engagement by stimulating imaginative thinking, problem-solving and creative expression.

Voices Uncensored gives participants a platform to create spoken and written narrative stories that are transformed into art. The profound act of creative expression and storytelling traverses generations. Storytelling gives a voice to everyone and fosters understanding and acceptance by providing an opportunity to listen and tell stories from diverse communities and cultures.

Customized on-going weekly arts program for individuals with cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s type dementia that enables them to create and complete a unique art piece each week and provide them with a professionally bound portfolio at the end of the program.

The unique curriculum that TGG developed to enhance older adults’ physical and mental health and increased socialization, by creating their own unique book of thoughts and/or remembrances about a meaningful experience in their life, learning and incorporating visual art and storytelling to express who they are and what they have experienced.

A critical element of The Geezer Gallery’s mission.

The Geezer Gallery (TGG) partnered with OHSU, Oregon Partner’s for Alzheimer’s Research (OPAR), and Oregon Center for Aging and Technology (ORCATECH) in a collaborative research project that will evaluate the efficacy of “Vibrant Elders” and “Capturing Time”, the major TGG curriculums. This year-long clinical research study was designed to validate how our therapeutic arts program impacts apathy, depression, social engagement, cognitive functioning and quality of life of elders with or without MCI while living in senior communities.

Community outreach in terms of offering exposure to artists while inspiring elders to become involved in the arts is ongoing at TGG. We partner with centers for seniors, including but not limited to Terwilliger Plaza, Hawthorne Gardens, Mary’s Woods, Elite Care, Lake Oswego Women’s Imaging Center, The Springs at Tanasbourne in giving our elder artists excellent visibility to become known for their creative pursuits, which helps them continue to have purpose in their lives while inspiring those who enjoy the works.