2008 Woodie Awards
Art show to feature local dementia patients
Jennifer Schuman
Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: Front Page
Collages, paintings, drawings and more will be on display this weekend showcasing the talents of Oxford residents with dementia.
Set for 6 p.m. April 11 at the Oxford Community Arts Center, members of Opening Minds Through Art will be presenting their work. The organization is designed for people who have dementia or other memory impairments.
According to Elizabeth Lokon, co-coordinator of the event, the artists of the show will feature 16 Knolls of Oxfords residents, most of which are part of the Memory Support Unit, a separate unit in the Knolls specifically for people with dementia.
"I hope anyone who sees the art and meets the artists becomes more comfortable reaching out to seniors with impaired memory," said Claire Wagner, assistant director of Miami University communications.
Lokon said that within the group itself, there is great variability in the degree of dementia among the artists. The participants ages range from mid-80s to mid-90s.
"The show is important because it celebrates the artists' creativity and self-expression," Lokon said. "Also because I hope it will show the general public the creative capacities of people with dementia, even at a very advanced stage of the disease."
For Wagner, this event is about remembering what those with dementia can still do.
"It's important that we not ignore someone whose memory abilities are diminishing, but value that they have other capacities and may still have much to share with us," Wagner said.
Miami junior Stefanie Schroth, who also volunteers at The Knolls, echoed Wagner's sentiments. She said events such as these offer new ways of expression to family and friends of individuals with dementia.
"It opens up a door for them to express themselves," Schroth said. "Because of this, we are able to take our focus off of some of the losses associated with dementia and focus on everything that people with dementia still have to offer."
Lokon said she encourages all people from the area to attend this event.
"This will be an opportunity for members of the general public to interact directly with people who have dementia and begin to reflect on their own views and feelings about dementia," Lokon said.
The Knolls of Oxford, the Scripps Gerontology Center, the Partnership Office at Miami and Summerfair Cincinnati-an organization that supports Cincinnati-area artists in Cincinnati-are all sponsoring the show.
Set for 6 p.m. April 11 at the Oxford Community Arts Center, members of Opening Minds Through Art will be presenting their work. The organization is designed for people who have dementia or other memory impairments.
According to Elizabeth Lokon, co-coordinator of the event, the artists of the show will feature 16 Knolls of Oxfords residents, most of which are part of the Memory Support Unit, a separate unit in the Knolls specifically for people with dementia.
"I hope anyone who sees the art and meets the artists becomes more comfortable reaching out to seniors with impaired memory," said Claire Wagner, assistant director of Miami University communications.
Lokon said that within the group itself, there is great variability in the degree of dementia among the artists. The participants ages range from mid-80s to mid-90s.
"The show is important because it celebrates the artists' creativity and self-expression," Lokon said. "Also because I hope it will show the general public the creative capacities of people with dementia, even at a very advanced stage of the disease."
For Wagner, this event is about remembering what those with dementia can still do.
"It's important that we not ignore someone whose memory abilities are diminishing, but value that they have other capacities and may still have much to share with us," Wagner said.
Miami junior Stefanie Schroth, who also volunteers at The Knolls, echoed Wagner's sentiments. She said events such as these offer new ways of expression to family and friends of individuals with dementia.
"It opens up a door for them to express themselves," Schroth said. "Because of this, we are able to take our focus off of some of the losses associated with dementia and focus on everything that people with dementia still have to offer."
Lokon said she encourages all people from the area to attend this event.
"This will be an opportunity for members of the general public to interact directly with people who have dementia and begin to reflect on their own views and feelings about dementia," Lokon said.
The Knolls of Oxford, the Scripps Gerontology Center, the Partnership Office at Miami and Summerfair Cincinnati-an organization that supports Cincinnati-area artists in Cincinnati-are all sponsoring the show.
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