MEET ME AT THE CLARK INVITES PERSONS WITH DEMENTIA AND THEIR CAREGIVERS FOR PRIVATE GALLERY TALKS

For Immediate Release
September 15, 2015

Williamstown, Massachusetts—“Meet Me at the Clark,” a free gallery talk program specially designed for persons with dementia and their caregivers, resumes on Monday, September 28 at 2 pm at the Clark Art Institute. The Clark is currently closed on Mondays, providing a safe and private atmosphere for participants. To register in pairs (persons with dementia and their caregivers), call 413 458 0410.

Meet Me at the Clark, based on a program instituted at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, began as a pilot program in 2013 and met with so much success that the Clark opened the program to the public in the fall of 2014. This season includes six sessions; visit clarkart.edu for details.

“Our gallery talks involve guided conversations about a series of art objects, often chosen to relate to a particular theme,” says Ronna Tulgan Ostheimer, director of Adult, School and Community Programs at the Clark. “All members of the group are encouraged to participate—to look, to think about their own reactions to the works, to make connections with the object, to listen to others and contribute to the discussion.”

Ostheimer explained that the program benefits not only persons with dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease, but their caregivers as well, who have often expressed surprise at how much they learn from the talks. “Engaging with art can be an incredibly powerful and humanizing experience for anyone,” she said.

ABOUT THE CLARK

The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, open to the public with more than 240,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. For more information, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

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