WORLD BANK ART PROGRAM EDITORIAL

Who We Are. Creative and Resilient Retiree: Featuring Elizabeth Casqueiro

September 29, 2022

Elizabeth Casqueiro, current retiree, and former senior manager of global real estate at IFC, worked with the World Bank Group for 20 years before her retirement. She was based at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC. This interview focuses on her artistic journey following retirement and her advice for staff members who are approaching retirement.

Tell us about your role at the bank and some of the projects you work on.

I started working for the Bank as a consultant in 1987, and my last role was as a Senior Manager of Global Real Estate at IFC.

What has surprised you most about retirement?

I retired in 2014 and initially wasn't mentally prepared for my retirement, despite a lot of previous planning. I had had a highly active position with considerable travel and responsibility, and suddenly I was at home with much less to do. I have always loved art and in the back of my mind I had assumed that when I retired, I would make art. I am now an exhibiting artist and teach part-time in Georgetown University's Master's program in RealEstate.

What do you wish you had done differently when you were a staff?

I wish I had pursued a Master of Fine Arts. It wouldn't have been easy because of my travel obligations, but I think I could have managed it, especially since there are now some distance learning modalities. In terms of my professional career, I don't have any regrets. It was a wonderful career. I met so many interesting people, made good friends, visited places I would never have gone to otherwise, and contributed to organizational goals I believed in. I can't think of anything I would have wanted to do differently.

How did you perceive art as a process throughout the pandemic?

The pandemic was liberating for me art-wise because suddenly I didn't have any deadlines as my shows during those two years were canceled. I was able to take a different trajectory with my paintings. I recaptured my architectural roots and, rather than tailoring my work to what other people might like, I exclusively did what I liked and what I would want to see on my walls.

I focused on three things. The first was architecture, in particular the drawing part that I so enjoyed as a student. It was incredibly Zen-like and fulfilling to return to this type of expression. The second focus area was flowers, which I had been avoiding for years because they are associated with a feminine, soft outlook. But I do like flowers, perhaps because my British mother was a flower lover and had a wonderful garden that bloomed all year round. So, I decided to bring back my childhood gardens in my paintings. The third item was pattern. It is necessary for human beings to see patterns in life, whether it's knowing that, based on what happened before, we can tell what's going to happen next, or understanding that there is a relatable rhythm to our surroundings. In my case, I hold dear the patterns of my roots in Portugal: tiles form patterns on the facades of the buildings, cobblestone patterns decorate the pavements and squares. Patterns are, in essence, how we understand the world.

I worked with these three elements during the pandemic and collectors and it turns out that collectors are drawn to them; in fact, I sold out of most of my new work by May of this year.

What would be your advice for staff nearing retirement?

It is important to recognize that your life after retirement may be just as active and enjoyable as it was while you were working. Initially, there can be a tendency to do too much, to pack your days to fill a perceived void. But you need to pare down and focus on only those select activities that give you pleasure. You have earned it! Then there is the revised definition of success. With my art practice, I had to change my previous definition. When you're working as staff, your metrics and your understanding of how well you are doing are often related to promotions, merit increases, awards, a project that was particularly successful, or kudos from your managers. In art, it is so different. You don‘t get promoted and there are no merit increases. You often don’t sell enough to cover your expenses. Perhaps you might get an award or be juried into a show but in the end, the best measure of success comes from within, what you decide is first rate, what you can speak to, and what you are proud of.

So, what is your next creative act?

My next creative act, after my current painting show — “Connected Spaces” at the Athenaeum Gallery in Old Town Alexandria — is to produce large format multi-media paintings and to expand my vocabulary within the theme of the sense of place at the intersection of nature, building, and ethos. I'm really finding my artistic voice now. It is so exciting that at my age I have discovered a passion that takes me to creative places I have never been to before and that keeps me growing as a human being, much like the work I did at the World Bank.

LONDON ART BIENNIAL, MAY 2021:

Entrances and Exits
Academy Art Museum

April 14 - July 15, 2018