The Auckland Old Folks Association was founded in 1945 to provide social services for the elderly in an inner-city neighbourhood of social, cultural and demographic diversity, particularly through fostering gatherings among its members “irrespective of status or creed” in a hall designed for that purpose. In 2011 the Association’s purposes were extended to support arts and cultural production, wit
h a particular interest in performance and intergenerational cultural exchanges. While the association now also supports events by and for younger members, its humble past remains central to the Association’s mission, where art practices, activities, research and thought retain a connection to the ordinary demands of being a community. In an era of professionalisation the vitality and substance of making often give way to commercial demands. The Association’s goal is to establish an independent platform that allows work to be produced holistically, and where some of the demands to excel; to develop a brand; to have a following; and to be new and extraordinary, can be set aside in the interests of a non-exclusionary process and lasting generosity. The Association’s goals are long-term, aiming to support activity over the lifetime of participants and contributors. The organisation as a project in itself will always be open to renewal, existing as an expression of the energy of those involved. The Association acknowledges the remarkable legacy of the original Auckland Old Folks organisation, and seeks to maintain the qualities of pragmatism and service the OFA has given the community and the local environment. The Association’s committee currently consists of Sean Curham, Joe Jowitt (finances), Jemma Nissen (secretary), Christina Houghton (chair), Amiria Lee (events) Stephen Bain (day to day administrator). Terms of membership of the Association are currently under development.
