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.

 

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 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

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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.

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

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