Review of the Art Therapy Tool Kit for Dementia By Artful
Art therapy is one of the most valuable things you can do for your mental health and overall wellbeing. The use of art therapy is becoming more and more mainstream as further evidence emerges regarding its benefits.
The simple act of putting pen to paper, or brush to canvas without the added ego of the final outcome can be incredibly freeing and you don’t need to be a self-proclaimed ‘creative person’ or a certain age to do so. As Brenda Ueland said “Everybody is talented because everybody who is human has something to express.”
This month, this online art and dementia tool kit by Artful came to our attention and we wanted to review it. It contains 10 activities designed for people living with dementia. Each activity has warm-up questions, instructions, options to tailor the activities, additional information and more. “Looking at and making art, particularly contemporary art, is an opportunity to try something new.” – Artist Educator Clare from Australia’s Museum of Contemporary Art described the Toolkit in more detail in the video below.
Each activity includes details about the artworks and artists who provided the inspiration. These make great starting points for ideas and can be used as conversation prompts. The activities are inspired by artworks in the MCA Collection and focus on the following 5 themes:
Paint to music
Printmaking
Continuous line drawing
Shapes and shadows
Patterns around you
Which we think sound interesting, engaging and fun!
The process of making art, helps you stay present and in the moment. This can often become a type of meditation which allows you to engage more fully with the activity and explore the feeling of play, rather than attach meaning to the outcome.
The toolkit can be used by an individual or as an activity for family and careers to use alongside and with their loved one. We love this idea as it is a great way to spend meaningful time together that is out of the ordinary.
The online toolkit is available for individuals and organisations. Read more about it here.