Couverture de How Art Can Fight Ageism: Meg LaPorte on Nonprofit Entrepreneurship, Intergenerational Partnership, and Creative Activism

How Art Can Fight Ageism: Meg LaPorte on Nonprofit Entrepreneurship, Intergenerational Partnership, and Creative Activism

How Art Can Fight Ageism: Meg LaPorte on Nonprofit Entrepreneurship, Intergenerational Partnership, and Creative Activism

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Episode SummaryCan art change how society sees older adults? Meg LaPorte, co-founder of Art Against Ageism, built a nonprofit that uses public art, interactive installations, and creative activism to combat damaging stereotypes about aging — and she launched it in her 50s, during a global pandemic. In this episode of Build Your Own Boat, Meg shares how nearly three decades in aging services journalism and communications gave her the expertise, network, and insight to spot a gap no one else was filling. She and co-founder Jordan Evans — her former student, 30 years her junior — are living proof of the very thing their organization advocates: that intergenerational connection is one of the most powerful forces for dismantling ageism. This episode is essential listening for any mission-driven woman who has wondered whether her experience is enough to build something new — and whether it's too late to start.Key TakeawaysNonprofits are entrepreneurial ventures. Starting and sustaining a mission-driven organization requires every bit of the creativity, risk tolerance, and resourcefulness that for-profit entrepreneurship demands — sometimes more.Your career history is your unfair advantage. Meg's 26 years in aging services journalism, communications, and marketing meant she could launch Art Against Ageism without hiring outside help — and she understood the landscape in ways no newcomer could replicate.The right co-founder can get you off the dock. Meg is candid that she might not have launched without Jordan Evans beside her. Finding a partner who believes in the mission — regardless of age — can be the difference between an idea and an organization.Intergenerational partnership is both strategy and proof of concept. Meg and Jordan are 30 years apart in age. Their collaboration doesn't just model what they advocate — it actively strengthens their work.Older entrepreneurs have a statistical edge. Research shows that entrepreneurs over 50 are significantly more successful than their younger counterparts. Experience, pattern recognition, and deep networks are real competitive advantages — not consolation prizes.About Meg LaPorteMeg LaPorte is the co-founder and president of Art Against Ageism, a nonprofit that uses art and creative activism to challenge harmful stereotypes about older adults and advance positive age beliefs. With nearly 26 years in the aging services field, Meg spent nine years as managing editor of Provider Magazine, one of the leading publications covering long-term and post-acute care. She holds a master's degree in aging services, has taught undergraduate courses on art and ageism, and has worked with organizations including the Greenhouse Project. In 2021, she and co-founder Jordan Evans launched Art Against Ageism, which has since produced large-scale public art installations, the Aging is Living interactive tree project, the Own Your Age photo booth, and a widely shared social media campaign called "Rewrite the Ageist Headline." Meg brings rare depth of expertise — and hard-won resilience — to the intersection of aging, art, and advocacy.Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is Art Against Ageism and what does it do?Art Against Ageism is a nonprofit organization that uses public art, interactive installations, and creative activism to challenge damaging stereotypes about older adults. Its projects have included large-scale wheat-pasted portrait installations on nursing home exteriors, the Aging is Living interactive tree installation, the Own Your Age photo booth, and the viral "Rewrite the Ageist Headline" social media campaign. The organization brings art into aging services communities and public spaces to spark conversation, shift perceptions, and make the humanity of older adults visible.How did Art Against Ageism get started?Co-founder Meg LaPorte developed the concept while teaching an undergraduate course on art and ageism in 2018. Her former student Jordan Evans became her co-founder, and the two formally launched Art Against Ageism in 2021, partly in response to the ageism laid bare during the COVID-19 pandemic — including a social media hashtag referencing the deaths of older adults as a desirable outcome.Is starting a nonprofit really entrepreneurship?Yes. Building a nonprofit from scratch requires identifying a market gap, developing a unique value proposition, securing funding, managing operations, building partnerships, and marketing a mission to multiple audiences simultaneously. Meg LaPorte's story is a clear example of nonprofit founding as a fully entrepreneurial act — one that draws on every professional skill she developed over nearly three decades.Are older entrepreneurs really more successful than younger ones?Research supports it. Studies have found that entrepreneurs over 50 — and particularly those over 55 — have significantly higher success rates than younger founders. The reasons include deeper domain expertise, broader professional ...
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