Day Place Artists
Day Place art was a service learning project for university students and part of a case study to see if the quality of life improved for participants diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease and dementia after they engaged in art related activities. The eleven week program was inspired by a similar research study conducted at the Museum of Modern Art. Images from Kelli Scott Kelley's Swamp Monster exhibit were shown as conversation prompts to the older adults at the Day Place dementia unit. The participants recounted personal stories related to the imagery. Following art discussions the university students led in art making activities that were related to the images shown. At the conclusion of the project an exhibition of the Day Place artists' work was on display at the Bradbury Art Museum. Two collages based on the project were installed at the total health care facility that houses the Day Place unit. While no statistical evidence confirmed an improved quality of life for the participants, qualitative data suggested the Day Place artists enjoyed reminiscence and interacting with the art processes. The university students reported that they were positively impacted by the experience. See the following link: https://youtu.be/2OFnoHK7JNw