Images Hold the Key to Memory

This week in my Therapeutic Arts course, I explored the role of image-making in therapeutic experiences for people with Alzheimer's Disease and dementia. Memories in the Making, a project spearheaded by the Alzheimer's Association, brings creativity to nursing homes and assisted living facilities across the country. Facilitators and volunteers guide residents in the creation of unique watercolor paintings that reflect their memories, personal identity, and emotional experiences. MIM coordinator Lisa Buck spoke to our class on her experiences of making art with hundreds of Alzheimer's patients across North Texas.

"Orange Flowers"

Check out more works by Memories in the Making participants at http://thememoriesinthemaking.com/gallery.

So how does therapeutic art-making relate to multimedia authoring? Many aspects of the Memories in the Making experience reflect the basic principles of image-making that we've discussed in class. Images hold the key to memory. The images we choose can make or break the message we wish to communicate and the relationship we seek to develop.

1. Images last longer than words.

Have you ever heard the hackneyed quip, "Take a picture, it'll last longer"? Well, it's true: the act of looking at a reference photo or making a picture can recall moments in time that have long escaped verbal memory. Memories in the Making participants who have lost the ability to speak in complete sentences have recreated scenes from their childhood with great accuracy and attention to detail. The abillity to express ourselves through images is so fundamental to our human experience that it often persists even after the artists can no longer communicate through language.

People can memorize and form associations with images more easily than words; as a result, images have a long-lasting impact on memory. Are your images "just illustrations," or do they carry the major theme of your piece?

2. Images reinforce--and inspire--narration or text.

Memories in the Making facilitators always encourage participants to discuss the subject of their artwork, both during the creative process and after they have finished painting. Ms. Buck observes that the act of painting often inspires participants to tell the story behind their artwork. She showed some examples of artwork with the accompanying narration. Sometimes the paintings reflect true events that transpired decades ago; other times, the stories are completely fabricated. Either way, the narration enhances the message of the painting by adding details or illuminating an aspect of the artist's personality.

When creating a multimedia piece, let the images lead and consider how the text supports, alters, and frames your images.

3. Images speak to our emotional memory.

Many MIM participants have lost the ability to create a representational likeness in their artwork. As a result, their paintings appear childlike--the lines aren't in exactly the right place, but the paintings often capture the essence of their subjects. Those in the end-stages of Alzheimer's Disease often create patterns or simple shapes (rows of circles are most common). Ms. Buck describes the participants' artwork as a "tangible expression of that person in that moment." Even if when we can't identify the subject of the painting, we can see that the artist has expressed her emotional state and personality through her work.

We form an emotional connection to the images we see every day. Think of the heartwrenching pictures used in charity brochures and TV segments--it's much easier to make an emotional appeal through images than through text.

To learn more about the local outreach efforts of the Alzheimer's Association and what you can do to help, go to http://www.alz.org/northcentraltexas/.