Senior Graffiti Artists Shatter Every Aging Stereotype, One Street At A Time

Seniors Shatter Aging Stereotypes With Some Very Cool Graffiti

Move over, Banksy. There's some incredible street art showing up all over Lisbon and you won't believe who's holding the paint can.

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A Portuguese initiative to help bridge the gap between generations is getting senior citizens involved in the community in a very unique way. LATA 65 is an urban creative art workshop set up primarily for older people. Lisbon has a major street art scene and the program was set up to help the seniors not only understand and embrace street art, but also to help shatter stereotypes of both young and old.

"People worldwide are not used to seeing seniors painting in the streets or even thinking they could be interested in urban art or trying it," program founder Lara Rodrigues told The Huffington Post in an email.

Rodrigues says the program has encouraged seniors to get involved in the arts while also helping them understand the meaning behind the graffiti they see around the city. So far, over 100 seniors have participated, ages 63 to 94, and the workshops will continue.

If the art is any proof, the participants are clearly enjoying themselves. "I often say that the spray can has something magical I can not explain," Rodrigues says. "Everyone likes to experiment and the elderly are no exception." Just goes to show, you're never too old.

Check out the amazing art below:

Rafael Marchante/Reuters/Corbis
A woman sprays her design on a wall during a graffiti class offered by the LATA 65 organization in Lisbon, Portugal May 14, 2015. The LATA 65 organization is an initiative for the elderly in the area of urban art. Since it began in 2012, they have introduced the world of graffiti to over 100 senior citizens, giving workshops in different neighborhoods of Lisbon.
Rafael Marchante/Reuters/Corbis
Participants pose at the end of a graffiti class offered by the LATA 65 organization in Lisbon, Portugal May 14, 2015. The LATA 65 organization is an initiative for the elderly in the area of urban art. Since it began in 2012, they have introduced the world of graffiti to over 100 senior citizens, giving workshops in different neighborhoods of Lisbon.
Rafael Marchante/Reuters/Corbis
Women spray their designs on a wall during a graffiti class offered by the LATA 65 organization in Lisbon, Portugal May 14, 2015. The LATA 65 organization is an initiative for the elderly in the area of urban art. Since it began in 2012, they have introduced the world of graffiti to over 100 senior citizens, giving workshops in different neighborhoods of Lisbon.
Rafael Marchante/Reuters/Corbis
Hugo, 85, sprays on a wall during a graffiti class offered by the LATA 65 organization in Lisbon, Portugal May 14, 2015. The LATA 65 organization is an initiative for the elderly in the area of urban art. Since it began in 2012, they have introduced the world of graffiti to over 100 senior citizens, giving workshops in different neighborhoods of Lisbon.

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