"What art offers is space - a certain breathing room for the spirit." ~John Updike
I often visit CNN's (Cable News Network) online website, and I look for positive, uplifiting news. I was touched by a health segment, "With Crayons, Brushes and an Escape From Alzheimer's". I work with older adults, and this video hilights an art program for people living with Alzheimer's, called, "Arts 4 Alzheimer's". The video interviews Bill and Carol Bates, who have been married for 57 years. They have known each other since she was 12. The bond between them is very special. I particularly found it amusing where he talks about how she tells him how great he is and she lovingly grabs his neck, like she was going to strangle him. You can just feel the love.
Art is a great activity for the people living with Alzheimer's. The participants are able to enjoy the "here and now". Tania, one of the volunteers comments that her time spent with this program is a "labour of love". The simple, basic activity of art is something that people of all ages can enjoy. I know as a child, art class in school was fun. As we age, we often don't have the time for leisurely activities like art, until we are older and our children are grown, or we are retired. The participants in the Arts 4 Alzheimer's program look happy and content and they appear to be doing something enjoyable and worthwhile. I myself have dabbled in art, and I really enjoyed it. I wish to get back to it again, hopefully before I'm elderly.
Click on this link to see the CNN video segment and get more information: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/07/07/alzheimers.art.class/index.html?hpt=Sbin
Have a great day!
~Angela Gentile
3 comments:
Great painting. I like the colors. I am painting through synesthesia which makes me see colors when I hear names and numbers. These colors I transform in paintings. Colors are my life.
What a beautiful article. It reminds me of a documentary film we recently got on DVD called "I Remember Better When I Paint". The film looks in-depth at the why/how the creative arts work. The film is uplifting. We heard about it in this article on HuffPost. Hope you get a chance to see it too.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rosalia-gitau/art-therapy-for-alzheimer_b_495914.html
Artist - I found this picture on photobucket. I really like it, too. I have done some painting myself, and your style, "synesthesia", sounds intriguing.
Toni - Thanks for your feedback. I'll have to check out the article on HuffPost.
~ Angela
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