Spark Nov 23 Crop

SPARK! Memory Loss Engagement Program

Discover FREE art experiences for people with memory loss and their care families at RAM’s Wustum Museum and the Racine Art Museum. Developed to provide a stimulating, yet non-threatening atmosphere, these creative experiences encourage the person with memory loss to actively engage in the moment and leave with a feeling of accomplishment and worth.

Each program offers a unique mix of engagement focused activities explored through visual art conversation, sensory stimulants, creative writing/poetry, music, the art of movement and hands-on art making.

New to SPARK!? Contact RAM Director of Education Tricia Blasko at [email protected] or 262.636.9573 to learn more about the program.

Upcoming SPARK! Events at RAM’s Wustum Museum

Programs may be presented virtually via Zoom in the winter months if weather is bad.

Spark Aug 23 Prints 2
Photography: RAM Staff

Each of these Friday sessions are held at 2519 Northwestern Avenue in Racine from 10:00 to 11:30 am.

February 9
March 8
April 12
May 10
June 7
July 19
August 9
September 13
October 11
November 8
December 13

Grant

In 2009, RAM was one of the initial five museums to receive a grant from the Helen Bader Foundation (now, Bader Philanthropies, Inc.)  with the goal to make RAM’s collections and exhibitions more accessible to people with early to mid-stage Alzheimer’s disease, as well as to their care families.

Grant

In 2009, RAM was one of the initial five museums to receive a grant from the Helen Bader Foundation (now, Bader Philanthropies, Inc.)  with the goal to make RAM’s collections and exhibitions more accessible to people with early to mid-stage Alzheimer’s disease, as well as to their care families.

What Sparked SPARK! at RAM

The Helen Bader Foundation (now Bader Philanthropies Inc.) Alzheimer’s and Aging program aims to make Wisconsin a leader, not just with challenges posed by this disease, but in how growing older and the later stages of life are viewed. Through an emphasis on program development, applied research, and public policy, the Foundation strives to offer hope to families struggling with Alzheimer’s. SPARK! was originally inspired by the Meet Me at MOMA program, a successful outreach effort at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, and has continued to grow and foster engagement activities using sensory stimulants combined with visual art conversations, music, poetry and hands-on art making.

RAM began the SPARK! program through researching and partnering with Racine County’s Aging and Disability Resource Center, Lincoln Lutheran, and other facilities to present this opportunity to their clients. The program has presented additional activities and events in partnership with other cultural institutions, such as the Racine Public Library, the Racine Arts Council, the Racine Heritage Museum, and Milwaukee’s Danceworks.

The SPARK! Alliance

In 2009, 10 founding institutions chosen by the Helen Bader Foundation (now, Bader Philanthropies, Inc.) established a forward-thinking program of collaboration and cross-connected policies and procedures that help new institutions and organizations begin engagement programs that are accessible to families living with Alzheimer’s, dementia and memory loss.

These programs focus on life-long learning, providing quality of life experiences while living in the moment and inspiring creative expression through engaging the senses. The SPARK! Alliance institutions are situated regionally in Wisconsin and Minnesota and now consist of over 22 museums and cultural organizations.

Love Art?  You’ll Love RAM!

The mission of the Racine Art Museum is to exhibit, collect, preserve, and educate in the contemporary visual arts. Stay up-to-date about special events as well as support the mission of the largest contemporary craft collection in America: