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MUSUEM TO BE PARTNER IN ‘ARTS FUSION’ PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE WITH MEMORY LOSS

Initiative offers social outings for patients and their caregivers

 The Taubman Museum of Art has partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association, Central and Western Virginia chapter, for a new program called “Arts Fusion,” which offers social outings for people diagnosed with memory disorders and their caregivers. These informal outings provide opportunities to enjoy the arts in an environment designed to offer respite from the disease. The first program will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 2:30-3:15 p.m.

The Arts Fusion Early Stage and Memory Care programs at the Taubman Museum will give persons with Alzheimer’s and related dementias, as well as their caregivers, a chance to participate in docent-led discussions of museum exhibitions. Each hour-long tour is designed to provide a welcoming space to talk about the artworks on view with a small group. This social outing is modeled on the nationally recognized “Meet Me at MoMA,” an award-winning series at the Museum of Modern Art in New York which offers special access programs for constituents with a variety of disabilities.

The Arts Fusion program has another local partner in the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, which will offer open rehearsals so that persons diagnosed with memory loss and their caregivers can enjoy listening to classical music, as well as participating in conversations with selected musicians. The first of these open rehearsals will take place Sunday, Sept. 30, at 2 p.m.

The value of the Arts Fusion program was captured by one program participant in Charlottesville, who stated, “We have gone from being equal partners as husband and wife to being caregiver and care-receiver. However, when we come to the museum we become a couple again.”

Nationally, the Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s research, care and support. The Central and Western Virginia chapter serves 51 counties and cities including Roanoke, Blacksburg, Lynchburg, Danville, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg and Culpeper.

Registration is required for all Arts Fusion programs. There is no cost to participants. For more information, or to sign up, please contact Sharon Celsor-Hughes, Creative Arts Director, Alzheimer’s Association, CWVA, at 434.973.6122, ext. 123, or shughes@alz.org. You may also visit http://www.alz.org/cwva/ .

The Taubman Museum of Art showcases American art, modern and contemporary art, design and decorative arts, folk and visionary art, and works on paper, and features a changing array of both national and international exhibitions.  Tours, gallery talks, musical performances, films, family days, classes, camps, and special events are part of the museum’s diverse offerings. The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; First Fridays for Art by Night, 5-8 p.m.; and First Sundays, noon-4 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors (65 and up), $3.75 for children ages 5-13, and free for children 4 and under. While you’re here, be sure to visit Norah’s Café, now open Mondays from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Friday nights until 10 p.m. For more information, visit www.taubmanmuseum.org or call 540.342.5760.