Justice and Human Rights France Project #23980

Meet me at the museum...The unifying effect of art

by ARTZ

Meet me at the museum...The unifying effect of art

Project Report | May 12, 2017
Acting together for a global outreach

By Cindy Barotte | Executive Director

Orsay

Cultural Action for Alzheimer

68 rue des Plantes

75014 Paris, France

Mai 12, 2016

Acting together for a global outreach of another perspective on Alzheimer’s

Dear donor,

Thank you so much for your generosity! We are very touched that you have chosen to support our cause.

The demand is immense:

There are an estimated 5.5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's dementia in 2017; an estimated 5.3 million are age 65 and older. Almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer's are women. Because of the increasing number of people age 65 and older in the United States, particularly the oldest-old, the number of new cases of Alzheimer's and other dementias is projected to soar. In 2016, 15.9 million family and friends provided 18.2 billion hours of unpaid assistance to those with Alzheimer's and other dementias.

Going Virtual, going global through Technology:

In 2016, the association finalized the concept of a website offering virtual visits which permits patients to experience visits at home, accompanied by a trained family member or community service volunteer, and thus dramatically expands the scope of the help brought by the association, even to those who are home-bound because of geographical, mobility, or other health challenges. The caregiver providing the accompaniment can easily manipulate the basic computer interactions required.

Each virtual visit includes the guided progressive discovery of four works of art, each in photographic format. This discovery occurs through a series of carefully adapted open questions, comments, explanations of key artistic symbols. The cultural, anthropological, historical, and/or artistic context is given, which allow the patient to concentrate on the structural elements of a work, and thereby to develop for themselves the meaning or significance of that work.

Benefits to caregivers:

Requires no prior knowledge of art by either the patient or the caregiver
With basic computer skills provides easily managed, enjoyable, adapted, and structured activity to be shared with the patient
Motivating and purposeful activity is not perceived as a “chore”
Provides an indirect training for better adapted methods of communication with the patient
Provides an alternative to negative or frustrating social interactions, through validation, the stimulation of verbal exchange, and affective retrieval of the patient’s personal long-term memories and associations.
The visits are rich in content and stimulating to the caregiver
Wide range of choices on the website mean that visits can be adapted to personal tastes and done frequently without repetition.
Intervention can be done one-on-one or in small groups, at home or in an institutional setting, wherever there is internet connection.
Unlike the production of art, requires no additional supplies or space, just a computer and internet connection
Caregivers note that patients tend to show improved mood and cooperation, as well as a reduction in negative behavioral symptoms.

Testimonialy from a volunteer :

“People were smiling, talking, and sharing with us. It was an intense moment of exchange. They were perfectly able to communicate with the others. The disease was not visible anymore; it was amazing. I know now that older people often feel suffering but don’t express it. You need to reach out to them, ask how they’re doing, and get them to talk about themselves, about what they feel. Their way of seeing the paintings was different from mine and that other way of seeing taught me something. Words are not everything; communication can be by touch, by sharing – eating a cookie together or looking at a photo album or going shopping. I want to de-dramatize the way people look at Alzheimer's disease and tell others about it”.

If you wish, we would be pleased to invite you to take part in our annual meetings or to receive your opinion and testimony about the disease, our experience and our association.

We will post regularly on the website final reports of actions we have done with all the donations we receive.

Warmly

Cindy Barotte

Director of the ARTZ Association

For more information about the association here is the link to our website: http://www.actionculturellealzheimer.org/

Together

Mirroring

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Feb 2, 2017
Annual report 2016 Action culturelle Alzheimer

By Cindy Barotte | Executive Director

Alexandre Cabanel The Death of Francesca da Rimin

December 31, 2016

Dear donors,

Thanks so much for your generosity. In 2016 we were able to remunerate 2 museum educators who prepared written commentaries for 12 series of visits. Each visit included four works of art. The art works came from the Louvre, the Guimet museum, and finally from the Orsay museum.

Your generosity also supported the participation in museum visits of beneficiaries, persons with Alzheimer’s disease.

Respectful of the methodology developed by the association, these visits and commentaries will be made available on an online application named Art Accessible to All.

Below you will find an example of our approach to the discovery of a work of art:

Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889)
Death of Francesca de Rimini and Paolo Malesta 1870

This painting is like a play, it offers an apparent tranquility while a drama has just occurred. The couple, whose heads are close together, seem to be asleep. This sleep is suspect. Their bodies are strangely positioned, their complexion is abnormally pale. It is their postures that reveal the tragedy they suffered. The right arm of the young woman hides a deep wound that bleeds and stains her dress. The young man has his fingers clenched on his bloody chest. Concealed in the shadow and behind a curtain the murderer watches his victims closely. Are they dead? No doubt, they lie, stiffened in the suffering of their wounds. The painter opposed the eternal sleep of the two lovers to the anguished and solitary presence of the murderer.

The Middle Ages were a source of inspiration for artists in the nineteenth century. The Divine Comedy of Dante is the work of reference. All the passions are represented in this work, that of love is incarnated by the history of Paolo and Francesca. Love, jealousy, hatred have led to the final scene we are watching. The story behind the painting is that the young Francesca marries against her will a man older than her. Moreover, he is ugly and jealous. His brother Paolo is the complete opposite. The couple in the painting fall in love with each other. One day, when they thought they were alone, they embraced, but the husband came out of his hiding-place, surprised them and killed them. This is a recurring theme on the unfortunate loves that are repeatedly found in literary works.

This short sequence from one of our commentaries gives you a taste of our work. We receive many positive comments after the visits; this is one example:

"My wife was very interested and perhaps more relaxed when she returned from visits."

The ARTZ, Cultural Action for Alzheimer team

Museum visit at Orsay

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Sep 21, 2016
12 virtual visits in 3 major museums.

By Cindy Barotte | Executive director

Starry Night, Vincent Van Gogh

Dear donors,

Thanks to your generosity, we were able to hire 2 museum educators who prepared together 12 virtual visits. 4 at the Louvre, 4 at Guimet and 4 at Orsay. Each visit includes the discovery of 4 works of art.

Using the methodology developed by the association, these visits are now available on the Art accessible to All website so that your generosity will enable future patients with family members or volunteers to live an enjoyable moment discovering 12 virtual visits in 3 major museums.

Below you can find an extract from the commentary of a famous painting:

A starry night Vincent Van Gogh

Van Gogh painted the city of Arles. It is not really identifiable; it appears more like a ghost town. It is located beside the Rhône. The painter had no intention to restitute the famous landmark. The city is just an excuse to paint the night, the real subject of this painting. This idea obsesses him, he wrote to his sister "Now I definitely want to paint a starry sky. Often it seems to me that the night is more richly colored than the day. "" The night is made of many colors that he describes to his brother Theo in a letter: "the sky is blue green, water is royal blue, the land is purple the town is blue and violet ...." the artist induces a cosmic dimension, even a spiritual one, creating this celestial vastness. Van Gogh before becoming painter wanted to be a pastor. In this painting, we can feel his desire to unify all the elements in the same dominant. We can also perceive a rhythm due to its brushwork, is not only aesthetic, but participates in a will to reveal the unity and harmony he saw in nature. One year after the starry Night, the artist was interned. In his asylum room, he created a much more tormented version of this painting.

With all our gratitude

The team ARTZ, Cultural Action for Alzheimer.

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