Arts & Minds

Our mission is to improve well-being for the growing number of people living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias by providing high quality visual art programs in museums, senior centers and geriatric residences. During the pandemic our programs have successfully transitioned online. We empower family members and professional caregivers to use Arts & Minds techniques outside the museum to create aesthetic experiences that can enrich the care of the elderly for all involved. Drawing on our combined expertise in Alzheimer's care and museum education, Arts & Minds provides participants with the opportunity to experience fine art and to express themselves creatively. Art-viewing and art-making tap into cognition, emotion and memory to take us to the heart of what it means to be human. Through shared aesthetic experience, caregivers learn that despite their loved ones’ dementia, they are able to interact with intelligence and joy. We encourage rich communication and model a person-centered approach. Arts & Minds works to raise awareness of Alzheimer disease and other dementias through community outreach and by expanding the networks of people with dementia and their caregivers. We focus on underserved communities where rates of dementia are disproportionately high and participation in high-quality arts activities is limited.