Myah Overstreet (20) and Jason Wyman (41) are an intergenerational producing team with The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture. They have worked together for over two years co-piloting The Alliance Youth Media Initiatives. Their latest endeavor with The Alliance is The Issue, a new arts + culture magazine designed to inspire a future where we all belong, which was published on January 11, 2018.

Overstreet and Wyman recently sat down to chat how and why they collaborate and create across age as a means to create a more inclusive future.

What is Intergenerational Co-Creating?

Overstreet: Intergenerational co-creating is creating with an equal amount of decision-making power and, say, with a person from a different generation than yourself; it’s a team of different time periods. The most valuable lesson to be learned in an intergenerational co-creative team is to listen and take notes, because although we are working together, we are learning from each other in an unconventional placement.

Why is it important to create across age?

Wyman: Creating across age is crucial to long-term systemic change because it provides an opportunity to experience equity, autonomy, compromise, collaboration, and agency all through artistic and creative projects. Last point: Age is a naturally occurring, linear hierarchy. It is my supposition that as we create more peer-based opportunities across age, we cultivate more equitable opportunities across artificially (or human) constructed hierarchies such as race, gender, and economics.

What is the long-term shift you hope to manifest?

Overstreet: Jason and I hope to set a precedent for creative programs of now and the future. We want to shift the industry standards of publication and youth media in order to inspire true dialogues and storytelling between generations.

Read the full article about intergenerational co-creating by  Myah Overstreet and Jason Wyman at ARTS BLOG.