Neighbor News
The Loyola University Museum of Art & Dabble Kids Raise Awareness for Alzheimer's Disease
An intergenerational arts workshop designed to strengthen the social bonds between people with Alzheimer's, their families & communities
On March 19, students from Edison Elementary and senior residents of The Clare will join together for an intergenerational program in conjunction with Dabble Kids. The program, titled “I Remember Better When I Paint,” takes place at the Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA) at 11:00 a.m. followed by lunch then a hands-on art workshop at The Clare from 2:00 - 4 p.m.
The day kicks off with a guided tour of LUMA’s new exhibit with work by William Utermohlen, who in 1995 was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Though increasingly isolated in verbal communication, he continued to produce art in increasing abstraction as the disease progressed. The docent will lead the participants in discussions about the artist and his work which spans several decades.
In conjunction with the exhibit, LUMA also is screening Berna Huebner's groundbreaking documentary, I Remember Better When I Paint, a film that explores how art and other creative therapies positively impact people with Alzheimer’s and can change the way we look at the disease.
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After touring the Utermohlen exhibit, Huebner will help the Edison students contextualize their visit by preparing a short play to perform for residents at The Clare, a senior residence with a nationally recognized center on aging and memory loss. Everyone will then join together for a fun, hands-on, intergenerational art project led by School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) art therapy student Dr. Yemonja Smalls and the 91 year-old co-founder of the Chicago Children’s Museum, Jean Morman Unsworth.
“Art therapy introduces a unique starting line, playground, and stage on which one can safely join the hands of their inner and outer being through the creative use of materials,” says Dr. Smalls who received her doctorate in clinical psychology and is currently finishing her master’s degree in art therapy at SAIC. “Intergenerational art-making provides a fertile ground for colorful conversations through creation -- an experience allowing for a beautiful intersection of perspectives.”
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“Intergenerational programming is invaluable,” insists Nikki Gamble, the life enrichment manager of the Terraces Healthcare at The Clare. “The opportunity to share their wisdom and advice to younger generations helps seniors find a new or renewed purpose.”
“People would be blown away by the kind of innovative arts programming that’s going on at Edison and public elementary schools across the city,” says Jacqueline von Edelberg, director of Dabble Kids, and the driving force behind the parent-led revitalization of Nettelhorst Elementary.
Event details for March 19, 2016:
11:00 a.m.: LUMA tour, 820 N. Michigan Ave.
Noon – 2:00 p.m. Lunch and play preparation at Einstein’s Bagels, 109 E. Pearson.
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Student performance for seniors (15 min) followed by an intergenerational art project at the Clare, 55 E. Pearson, 2-4pm.
4:10 Cookies at Hershey’s Chocolate World, 822 N. Michigan Ave.
Additional workshops are scheduled for April 23, and May 21.
For more information, visit:
www.DabbleKids.com jacqueline@dabblekids.com 773.983.7430
Watch the trailer for Berna Huebner’s I Remember Better When I Paint, the critically acclaimed documentary about how the arts can positively impact Alzheimer’s disease.
