Memory Care Residents Create and Express Themselves Through Art Projects

The fine arts have always been a way for people to express themselves. Individuals with dementia are no different as they continue to look for ways to convey their creativity. 

August is Art Appreciation Month, and Arrow Senior Living has been celebrating in its Memory Care Neighborhoods. Each week, under the direction of the Memory Care Director and staff, residents created a different art piece. Each hands-on endeavor was researched and selected by Gregory Dierlam, Managing Director of Marketing and former elementary art teacher. 

Week one focused on photography of hands, with influence by British photographer Tim Booth. Residents would photograph each other’s hands, acting both as the hand model and photographer. Many residents held objects they considered precious. 

Kinetic sculptures were the resident creations for week two, based on the work of Alexander Calder. Three-dimensional mobiles were constructed for hanging, utilizing various shapes, sizes, and colors cut or torn from foam sheets. Glitter is a popular adornment. A local reporter even joined Vitalia North Olmsted for their sculpture event. To view the article, go here. For anyone local, it also dominated local front pages!  

From the French word coller meaning “to glue,” collage was the week three focus. Images liked by or with meaning for each resident were torn from magazines in different shapes and glued down to create a colorful and interesting composition. 

Action painting, inspired by American artist Paul Jackson, was an event involving not just the residents but staff and family members as well. Squeeze bottles, paint brushes, and fingers were used to squirt, drip, and fling their favorite-colored paint across a large canvas spread out on the ground. 

Art shows displaying the works of the residents will be held in each Memory Care Neighborhood. Family members, staff, and community residents are encouraged to come see the modern art skillfully created by the minds and hands of their friends and family.