WHAT: This winter, artist Seth Ruggles Hiler will unveil eighteen large-scale oil paintings of SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) constituents during the event and reception entitled Faces of SAGE: Portrait Series. Hiler first met with each constituent at The SAGE Center where they shared their life stories, including the challenges and rewards of growing up as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the pre-Stonewall era, and posed for photographs. These stories and photos were later translated by Hiler into oil paintings. The portraits took six months to complete at Hiler’s studio and will be on sale to the public, with a portion of proceeds benefiting SAGE and its mission to improve the lives of LGBT older adults.  Faces of SAGE: Portrait Series is open to the public and admission is free. SAGE is the country’s oldest and largest LGBT aging organization and has pioneered some of the country’s most successful services for LGBT elders, including The SAGE Center, the country’s first full-time center for LGBT older adults age 60 and over, a “friendly visiting” program for homebound LGBT older adults and the first support group for LGBT older adults living with HIV/AIDS.

WHO:  Seth Ruggles Hiler, a high school arts teacher and artist and editor-in-chief of Mix Media Arts Journal, a digital multi-genre arts magazine. Hiler’s work has been exhibited at galleries and institutions nationwide and in Canada, including Syracuse University, Morris Museum and Monmouth Museum of Art. To view samples of Hiler’s work, visit sethruggleshiler.com.

WHERE: The SAGE Center, 305 Seventh Avenue, 15^th Floor

WHEN: Friday, November 30, 6-8 pm

CONTACT: For more information about Faces of SAGE: Portrait Series, please contact Sarah Savino, Program Manager of The SAGE Center, at 646.576.8669 or ssavino@sageusa.org.

PRESS RSVPs: If interested in attending Faces of SAGE, please RSVP to Bryan Pacheco at bpacheco@sageusa.org or 212-741-2247 ext. 297, by 12pm on Thursday, November 29.

Press will be able to interview the artist, as well as select SAGE constituents. The colorful portraits will provide a compelling backdrop for interviews and photos.

SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) is the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in New York City, SAGE is a national organization that offers supportive services and consumer resources to LGBT older adults and their caregivers, advocates for public policy changes that address the needs of LGBT older people, and provides training for aging providers and LGBT organizations through its National Resource Center on LGBT Aging. With offices in New York City, Washington, DC and Chicago, SAGE coordinates a growing network of 22 local SAGE affiliates in 16 states and the District of Columbia. Learn more at sageusa.org and lgbtagingcenter.org.