Age Is Opportunity

Biography of Vivian Hoff, Eagan, MN

Taken from Tapestry, a publication for members of SeniorCare and PHP+Medicare, Fall 1995

In 1985, Vivian Hoff, 70 retired from her job as a teacher of home economics. Although her professional career is behind her, Vivian remains an avid instructor, combining sewing skills with her artistic flair. Vivian instructs pupils of all ages on creating quilts, wearable art with a Japanese flavor, Norwegian Hardanger embroidery, cloth dolls and Victorian beadwork. She even finds time to teach an altogether different form of art: a discipline called T’ai Chi Chih.

Vivian’s love of fabrics and design developed early. As a child growing up in Duluth she learned to sew at age 6, and used to sit in what she describes as a sunny attic room where she would sew clothes for her kewpie dolls. “I made my first dress in home economics,” says Vivian. “All the other girls made simple dresses, but mine had pleats, tucks and ties.”

Vivian earned a bachelor’s degree in home economics from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and a master’s degree in education from the University of Minnesota. She taught dressmaking and tailoring and even hosted a popular TV show on sewing from 1960 to 1965.

After the death of her husband in 1981, Vivian sold her home, moved to an apartment and embarked on a round of travel to assuage her grief. One trip helped spark a beginning, creatively and spiritually. While visiting one of her sons in Japan, she took a side trip to China, where she saw people practicing t’ai chi, an ancient Chinese discipline to unite the body, mind and soul through movement and meditation. “I understood that it promoted inner peace and serenity, and I just liked the movements,” she says. “When I came back, I made an effort to find a class.”

She started practicing t’ai chi and found it beneficial almost immediately. “I can’t explain it, but I knew it helped me,” she says. “Chi means life force, and when you cultivate the life force within you, everything comes together.”

She trained with a master to become accredited and now teaches T’ai Chi Chih through community education departments and other organizations. She believes t’ai chi has opened her up creatively and helped her manage her arthritis.

Vivian was the winner of this year’s “Age is Opportunity” Arts Award. Congratulations!