For a second year, Creativity and Educational Studio ARTIED takes part in a project of Foundation “Compassion Alzheimer Bulgaria” for organising virtual tours around Bulgarian and world museums and art galleries. During them, we present paintings of famous Bulgarian and foreign artists. The audience is elder people from the Care Centres for Adults with Dementia in Razgrad and Kazanlak.
Within the project, we plan to organise and run 12 thematic art sessions during which we will present royal portraits, historical canvases, marine and rural landscapes, still lives with fruits, deer or flowers, Arab and Orient art.
Again, we will follow the specially developed methodology, considering the profile and specific requirements of older people with dementia. The sessions combine short lecturettes on the topic and the presented artworks and suitable musical accompaniments. This sequence of paintings and thematical musical audio clips allows the elder people to enjoy the artwork while listening to the music. We also include different opportunities for practical activities, discussions and interaction with users (through simple questions related to the presented paintings), as well as sharing of experience and views. This way, we encourage older people not to be passive recipients, but to actively engage during the art sessions.
The moderator is again Mariana Petrova, founder of the Creativity and Educational Studio „ARTIED“.
Of course, we step on the valuable experience from the previous project. During it, we learnt that:
- Older people and these with dementia are very curious and really enjoy art and creative activities.
- Art tours and sessions improve the general condition of people with dementia, including their cognitive abilities, focusing and communication skills.
- Art activities improve seniors’ socialisation and encourage their willingness to participate in group activities.
- Everybody has creative potential and can draw, make collages from paintings and enjoy beauty. Irrespectively of their age!
The current project is being realised with the support of the “Our Parents” fund of BCause Foundation.
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