An intimate connection: Exploring the visual art experiences of persons with dementia

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe and discuss the art experience of persons with dementia taking part in guided museum tours at a Norwegian art museum. The analysis is based on semi-structured open-ended interviews with participants and researcher field notes. The results demonstrate the capacity and willingness of persons with dementia to reach out and connect on a personal level with the artworks. We identified four experiential dimensions: (1) a new way of seeing, (2) being lifted out of everyday life, (3) activating emotional and bodily responses and (4) connecting art and life. Our findings draw attention to the existential dimensions of the art experience and show that dementia-friendly programmes can offer individuals with dementia a way to stay connected both to themselves and to the wider community through active participation in a cultural discourse. This is the first research study conducted in this emerging field in a Norwegian context.

COVID-19, museums, and art therapy

“…This therapeutic mood is in close relationship with art therapy theories initiated in the management of neuro-psychiatric disorders (mainly dementia) and chronic pain: in this context, museums can play a welcoming role, and an interface between creators, creations and patients (some of whom may be caregivers themselves) [4][5][6][7]. They also have the possibility of being exported outside the walls, for example to the hospital room in the form of reproductions of works of art brought by mediators (Louvre Museum) [8], or in the form of real anthropological and/or archaeological objects moved and presented by the curators themselves (musée du quai Branly -Jacques Chirac) [9].…”

“I Want to Experience the Past”: Lessons from a Visitor Survey on How Immersive Technologies Can Support Historic Interpretation

“…Designers of immersive experiences should keep in mind, however, that work by Hendriks et al [65] reports that the effectiveness of art therapy depends on the stage of the disease, as people with severe dementia tend to interact less with objects and others. Additionally, work by Lea and Oddgeir [66] highlights how art experiences are particularly successful if they evoke a personal connection with the artifact on display. This offers interesting opportunities for immersive technologies, as they could be used to better connect the art intervention with the visitors' past experiences, and to facilitate conversations with their caregivers [67].…”

Online gallery facilitated art activities for people with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: A narrative review

“…A taxonomy of arts interventions for people with dementia listed eight principles and features: transformation, possibility, connection, expression, involvement, selfhood, humanity, and engagement (Cousins et al, 2020). Connecting with art in galleries and museums also has the potential to provide new perspectives on life, while activating emotional and bodily responses of people with dementia (Lea & Synnes, 2021). Importantly, art and dementia programs featured in museums and galleries are inclusive and empowering, pushing back against fear and stigma in a spirit of solidarity (Halpin-Healy, 2017).…”