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Memories in the Making®
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Art Programs for People with Dementia




Memories in the Making
Training Workshops
Exhibitions
Participating Sites
Museum Programs

Memories in the Making® is an art program for people with dementia that was developed over 20 years ago by two artists working with the Orange County (CA) Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. The program is now offered by some 20 chapters of the Association nationwide.

In weekly, one hour art sessions, people with Alzheimer’s disease or related forms of dementia use watercolor paints to create personal and enigmatic works of art. An artist facilitator trained in the Memories in the Making® method conducts the sessions with the help of care staff and volunteers. Bypassing the need for planning, knowing or learning new skills, MIM allows people with memory loss the opportunity to express themselves and see the results of their efforts take form before their eyes.

Researchers believe that creativity is important to individuals’ sense of well being and that the parts of the brain involved in creative pursuits may remain relatively intact after other functions have been lost. For many with dementia, art becomes a means of telling stories, communicating emotions and recalling lost memories. Others enjoy the sensation of seeing the shapes, lines and colors flow from the brush. For most, it is an engaging and enjoyable activity when other avenues for creating, communicating and experiencing pleasure are lost.

The Alzheimer’s Association helps care staff bring Memories in the Making® to their communities by training them to be facilitators, supplying art materials and organizing opportunities to share the works of art. The painters in the program often create beautiful works of art that are included in exhibitions or reproduced as calendars and note cards, helping the Alzheimer’s Association promote awareness of the disease. More important than the finished product, however, is the process of finding a means of self-expression through art and enhancing the quality of life for those suffering from dementia.

For more information about Memories in the Making®, to host the program at your site or to volunteer to assist with the classes, contact Lisa Buck at 817.336.4949 or 800.272.3900.

Memories in the Making Training Workshops

The Alzheimer's Association periodically offers Memories in the Making Training Workshops for anyone interested in becoming a facilitator .  Similar to the on-site training sessions offered to care communities hosting MIM, the two-hour workshop covers the history, philosophy and benefits of MiM, plus guidelines and tips for successfully conducting the art making sessions and a chance to try out the art materials.  The training is a perfect way for volunteers and new staff at communities that already host MIM to learn how to make the program a success.   
 

The next MIM Facilitator Training Workshop is:

Wednesday, May 29, 10 am to noon
Alzheimer's Association Office
2630 West Fwy, Suite 100
Fort Worth, 76102

Download a flyer here.   $25 includes CEU's for activity professionals; free for potential volunteers and staff of communities already hosting MIM. Call Lisa Buck at 817-336-4949 or email lisa.buck@alz.org.

Exhibitions

Exhibitions of paintings created by participants in MIM showcase the paintings created by participants of the Memories in the Making Exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Heart. Mind. Hand.
Paintings by People with Dementia

February 1 through 28, 2013

UNT  Health Science Center
Carl E. Everett Building
3500 Camp Bowie Blvd.
Fort Worth, TX  76107

Co-presented with the UNT-HSC Healthy Aging Council

Joy, "Music" Autumn Leaves of Cityview


Persistence of Self:
Paintings by People with Dementia

February 3 through 28

Fort Worth Community Arts Center
Fort Worth, TX 76107

View paintings here



Nona, "The Baby and its Playthings" Sunrise Assisted Living of Fort Worth


Levita, "The Water and the Boat"
Texhoma Christian Care Center, Wichita Falls



Realm Beyond Memory: Paintings by People with Dementia


Art Museum at Midwestern State Universty
Wichita Falls, Texas
November 30 through December 2, 2011

Read here about the Fall 2011 research
project four MSU psychology students
and four Wichita Falls long-term care
communities.

November 5 to November 28, 2012  Visible Voices: Paintings by People with Memory Loss
Arlington Museum of Art
Arlington, Texas
View paintings here
   

June 3 to July 31, 2010

Magic of the Moment: Paintings by People with Memory Loss
Kemp Center for the Arts
Wichita Falls, Texas

September 25 to October 25, 2009

An Art of Me: Paintings by People with Dementia
Emeritus at Tanglewood Oaks
Fort Worth, Texas
View paintings here.

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Care communities currently participating in Memories in the Making® are:

Windcrest Alzheimer's Care Center

Abilene
Autumn Leaves of Arlington Arlington
Arlington Villa   Arlington
La Dora Nursing and Rehab Center    Bedford
Autumn Leaves of Flower Mound Flower Mound
Autumn Leaves of Cityview Fort Worth
James L. West Senior Adult Day Program Fort Worth
Garden Terrace Alzheimer's Center   Fort Worth
Lakewood Village Healthcare Center Fort Worth
Trinity Terrace   Fort Worth
Quail Park Assisted Living Granbury
Arbor House   Granbury
Autumn Leaves of Grapevine Grapevine
Autumn Leaves of Fossil Creek Haltom City
Arbor House   Lewisville 
Isle at Watercrest Mansfield
Villagio    Plano
Clare Bridge Cottage Richland Hills
North Pointe Nursing and Rehab   Watauga
Peach Tree Place Weatherford
Arbor House  

Weatherford

Santa Fe Nursing and Rehabilitation Weatherford
Grace Care Center   Wichita Falls

 

Museum Programs for People with Dementia

Art Museums in the Fort Worth Cultural District offer special programs for people with dementia and there caregivers. Visit the museum websites for program descriptions and times or call for more information.

Amon Carter Museum

 

Sharing the Past through Art
Designed for adults with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers, during this program participants discuss artists, themes, and exhibitions and use artworks to connect to past experiences. 817.989.5030

     

Kimbell Art Museum

 

Viewpoints
Individuals with Alzheimer's and their care partners are invited for interactive art experiences every month on selected Monday afternoons. 817-332-8451, ext. 351

     

Modern Art Museum

 

In the Moment at the Modern
Participants experience works on view through intimate conversation with docents and thoughtful projects designed by the Museum’s education staff. 817.840.2141.

For more information about Memories in the Making, contact Lisa Buck at 817-336-4949.

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Alzheimer's Association

Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's
Formed in 1980, the Alzheimer's Association is the world's leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research.