Featured Artists & Arts Organizations
Dementia Spring supports artists and arts organizations that raise awareness about dementia and who inspire creativity in people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Featured Artists & Arts Organizations
Lessons of Empathy
Fiber artist and professor Ann Clarke weaves emotional, resonant tales of Alzheimer’s disease and caregiving into her large scale textile works, which might just end up on the floor!
I Still Love You
Caring for a loved one with dementia is always challenging, but especially when dementia is accompanied by other illnesses. That’s where artist Diane Pontius was when she started caring for and filming her father, Robert Pontius, MD.
Tangles & Plaques
Kirsten Riiber and her colleagues at Chicago’s Neo-Futurist Theater bring dementia to life on stage and educate younger generations about the disease.
Sky on Swings
Using opera to explore the inner lives of two modern women with dementia, composer Lembit Beecher paints a tender, complex portrait of what it’s like to actually live with Alzheimer’s disease.
With Dad
Stephen DiRado and his father Gene collaborate on a deeply intimate photographic story of dementia, from diagnosis through Gene’s final days.
The Rest I Make Up
Not everyone gets to meet their hero, and fewer become their friend, but that’s what happened to journalist Michelle Memran when she looked up María Irene Fornés.
Elder Kinder
Painter Jason Yarmosky’s intimate, offbeat oil-on-canvas portraits of his grandparents challenge our notions of aging, heroism and Alzheimer’s disease.
Check the Mail for Her Letter
Obscuring the border between reality and illusion, visual artist Amy Parrish expresses her grief through original work after the loss of a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.
Lou
Simultaneously tender and haunting, these hyper-realistic, mixed-media portraits emphasize the slow evolution of Lou’s confusion while celebrating the wisdom and grace she had shown all her life.
Caring is Art
Caring is Art by Leilani Norman offers an outlet and validation for caregivers everywhere through art and resources.
Rainbow Mind
Tango’s artistic intention is to be responsive, caring and unpresuming, which is perhaps why she relates so well to older adults, those with dementia and caregivers.
Dark Moon
Mathews is one of many visual and performing artists who are telling a new story of dementia through various mediums, and the Dementia Spring Foundation is proud to support her journey.
Protect the Past to Save the Future
For Nerreter, art has been her way to connect with others, especially those who can at times, be overlooked in our society.
Shadow and Light
The libretto from Shadow and Light: An Alzheimer’s Journey in 16 Movements – an epic choral-orchestral work on the subject of Alzheimer’s – is at times comical, inspiring, and heartbreaking.
Music Therapy at Home
Karla Wilson, a board certified Music Therapist, brings music therapy into the homes of clients all over. While she works with a range of clients, Karla has a passion for working with those living with dementia and at end of life.
Lola’s ArtKit™
An artist and dementia care professional, Lola Fraknoi uses art to portray her own journey as a dementia care partner as well as inspire individuals living with dementia.
Music Mends Minds
For Carol Rosenstein, founder and executive director of Music Mends Minds, Inc., music is about more than playing, more than jamming, more than social interactions… It’s about brain chemistry.
Memory Bridge
Josh Dorman, painter and mixed media artist, had his first exposure to dementia in 2007 when he collaborated with the Memory Bridge Foundation to travel to a Chicago nursing home to create the six large “portraits” of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.
Persistence of Memory
The paintings of Utermohlen provide a unique window into the mind of a person living with Alzheimer’s disease, while dually providing an outlet for Utermohlen in the later stages of his life.
Artisan Mind
Tiffany Ramirez founded Artisan Mind in 2014 with the goal to bring art programs to individuals with memory loss who may be limited in their access to creative and culturally based programs.
Songwriting Works™
Songwriting Works™ Works and the Songwriting Works™ Educational Foundation are truly unique and inspirational programs where people with dementia of all types work together in groups to compose original songs and then sing them together.
Dance for Connection
Donna Newman-Bluestein is a dance therapist and founder of Dance for Connection. She is an expert in facilitating a comfortable environment for expression, especially for those living with dementia.
The Poet
Caring for someone living with dementia is a dance, a journey of ups and downs – with both the individual living with the diagnosis and their care partner playing a unique role. This emotional journey of a dance is what Tara Lee sought to portray in her ballet turned film, “The Poet”.
The Little French Bridal Shop
The message that Dupee wants readers to take away is that despite dementia being a heavy topic – when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable – we can find ourselves, hopefulness, and meaningful connections.
Get Featured on Dementia Spring
Can I apply to become a featured artist or arts organization?
Dementia Spring highlights the work of artists and arts organizations across the creative spectrum who are doing important work in the dementia field. We work with visual arts (painting, coloring, sculpting, film), music (listening to, singing, and playing music) drama/movement (acting, storytelling, dance, choreography, and expressive movement) or songwriting.
If you’re unsure, just drop us a note using the contact form at the bottom of this page.
What kind of promotion can I expect?
When a Featured Artist article is released, it is posted to our website, highlighted on our home page and blasted through our e-newsletter. We promote every Featured Artist on our social media channels — Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube — and make sure to tag your preferred account so you are able to reshare the posts to your community!
Who will I be working with if I apply to become featured?
Dementia Spring has a team of dedicated professionals with expertise in writing, videography, and social media. We will work closely together as a team to tell your story accurately, efficiently, and artistically.
How can I give my support?
Dementia Spring provides support for artists and arts organizations that raise awareness about dementia and who inspire creativity in people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Visit our Donate page to learn more about this effort and to support us.
We understand that some folks are unable to support us monetarily. Help us spread the word on social and tell a friend!
Get Involved on Social Media
Join our Dementia Arts Network and keep in touch.