Winnipeg Art Gallery
A new program about to launch at the Winnipeg Art Gallery is designed to engage those living with dementia through visual art.
The WAG has partnered up with the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba and the University of Manitoba’s College of Rehabilitation Sciences for Art to Inspire.
The program will give visitors the opportunity to enjoy companionship and conversation, share stories, and explore ideas in a supportive setting. Trained art educators will run the program and incorporate lively discussions of artworks as well as art-making activities.
Six 90-minute sessions begin March 8 and are organized around different themes, such as nature, the environment, art and music, and the North, and explore related artworks. A maximum of 16 people will attend each session, eight with dementia and each accompanied by a caregiver.
“People living with dementia often feel isolated and stigmatized,” said Rachel Baerg, head of education at the WAG.
“Art to Inspire seeks to connect them with an opportunity for engagement through art in enriching and life-enhancing ways, as the WAG works to promote a dementia-friendly culture celebrating creativity and inclusion for all Manitobans.”
The cost to register is $60. Programs run every alternate Thursday from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. March 8 and 22, April 5 and 19, and May 3 and 17.
