About Artful Moments
Our Story
Artful Moments is a program created by the Art Gallery of Hamilton that provides meaningful, individualized, and engaging activities using our collections and exhibitions that encourage participants to be creative, to express themselves and to connect with others through shared experiences. Our focus is on enhancing the strengths and abilities of the participant, regardless of their abilities, state of health or social circumstance, while presenting activities at a level of engagement and rigour expected of gallery and museum programming. We focus on the process and the experience rather than a final product or demonstration of learning.
Combining specialized strategies for dementia care with creative activities, the program explores how these experiences can help to open up a world of in-the-moment engagement and enjoyment for the participants with dementia, while providing opportunities for social connection and shared experience with loved ones and peers.
From this experience, Artful Moments: Shared Learning was created; the culmination of our experiences and learning over time, informed by consultation with people living with dementia throughout our planning, delivery and evaluation processes. From the early days of the program, our focus groups and consultants with lived experience have contributed to the way we work, from the way we structure programs, to the language we use and the art we select. This platform is the result, presenting the key information and ideas that we have found most successful.
- Core Strengths
Artful Moments provides responsive, meaningful, individualized engagement that focuses on strengths and abilities. The program works by:
- Using museum collections and exhibitions as a rich foundation for program content.
- Emphasizing adaptation over reinvention of museum activities and resources.
- Prioritizing the experience ‘in the moment’ and social connection at every stage of dementia or level of ability.
- Integrating the lived experience and knowledge of people with dementia to ensure positive, person-first design, practice, and language through consultation and co-creation.
- Standing on a framework of knowledge of dementia and the best practices to achieve success.
- Being supported by research, experience and shared expertise.
- Art Gallery of Hamilton
Founded in 1914, the Art Gallery of Hamilton is the oldest and largest art museum in Southern Ontario, with a permanent collection of over 10,000 objects, recognized as one of the finest in Canada. The Collection comprises Historical Canadian and European Art and Contemporary Art and in recent years has focused on collecting work by Indigenous and women artists. The exhibition program balances travelling exhibitions and work from the Collection, often placing works from different times and places together to inspire a critical conversation.
In the past decade, the AGH has delivered a public program focused on the power of visual art and exhibitions to enrich social connection, particularly when paired with experiential and creative learning. We have had particular success developing programs to address specific wellness needs and communities using the arts to support people’s social, emotional and physical wellbeing in meaningful ways, regardless of abilities, circumstances, or prior experiences with art.
- Who We Are
Artful Moments’ core value is the sharing of knowledge. This has been with us since the beginning. With a team comprised of museum educators and health care professionals, along with advisory members with lived experience of dementia and/or their care partners, we have combined our knowledge and experiences to develop a program that embraces the social and well-being potential of museums along with the rigour expected from museum programs.
Artful Moments is guided by extensive knowledge and best practices in dementia care.
We continue to learn from each other and collaborate on a program that we love. We are so pleased to share our experiences with you.
Introducing Learning Modules
Module 1: Dementia and Museums
Understand the philosophy and impact of Artful Moments, as well as how to use this website to develop your own program.
Module 2: Understanding the Participant
Understand the impact of dementia on a person and how the changes in the brain that are caused by dementia can affect their participation in an Artful Moments-style program.
Module 3: Understanding Environment
Learn how to apply your knowledge of dementia to create a program environment that maximizes the safety, accessibility, and comfort of your participants and facilitators in order to promote engagement and wellbeing.