For Bob Hannan, walking around the Maitland Regional Art Gallery evokes memories of his childhood, growing up in the Sydney suburb of Brighton-Le-Sands.
The 84-year-old and his wife, Jill Hannan, don’t take such recollections for granted. They are among a number of participants in the gallery’s Conversations: Art and Dementia program, which invites locals living with dementia and their carers to take a guided tour through the current exhibitions.
The gallery has been a part of a growing push in galleries worldwide striving to create a space for those with dementia and their carers to have meaningful conversations about art, identity and memories. After viewing the artworks, they are also encouraged to use those on display to inspire their own creation to help talk about their experiences.
Bob found recent visits to the Maitland gallery help him reminisce about his childhood by the beach and then create a picture of a boat. When asked about his paintings, Bob’s face instantly lit up.
“I love water, I love being anywhere near water. Boats, rowing, anything to do with water,” he revealed excitedly, pointing to his watercolour painting of a boat.
Watercolour painting of a boat, by Bob Hannan. Photo: Caitlin Maloney.
Boat stitched into hessian, by Bob Hannan. Photo: Caitlin Maloney.
The Conversations: Art and Dementia program runs twice a month at the Maitland gallery, attracting over 4,000 participants since it was launched in 2011. Bob and Jill have been taking part since the beginning.
“Both of us love it. It’s about the one thing I can drag Bob out to all the time,” said Jill Hannan.
Although Bob has not officially received a dementia diagnosis, they have found the program assists Bob immensely with his memory loss. Jill believes the gallery atmosphere has a transformative effect on him.
“You go to a cafe with some people or something like that, and with pubs it’s even worse, and Bob can’t really catch up with what’s going on…. But here it’s quiet and measured, and he can add to the conversation,” she told Central News.
‘IT’S TREATING YOU LIKE JUST A NORMAL PERSON’
Having the art-dementia program in a regional area such as Maitland is critical, according to experts, as dementia continues to rise. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, as of 2022, there are over 25,000 people living in the Hunter, New England and Central Coast region with dementia.
Michelle Maartensz, audience programs lead at Maitland Gallery, said the program allows people with dementia to express themselves in ways they may not ordinarily be able to.
“I think the most important thing is that you don’t lose your imagination. If you have dementia, you still have that, and you can still use that,” she said.
She added that the program also has a positive impact on the gallery staff and wider community: “It makes us very happy that we’ve made a difference in their day.”
Maartensz is confident in the program’s future, with the gallery recently receiving grant funding for a research component with the University of Newcastle, which will coincide with the existing tour.
“It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a long time, but just haven’t had the means to,” said Maartensz. “We would love to keep the program running permanently. We know that it’s really important. Dementia’s on the rise in the community, and we feel it’s a group of people that we’d love to keep engaged with us here.”
Jill asking Bob about his collage created during the art-dementia program. Photo: Caitlin Maloney.
Dr Gail Kenning, a researcher from the University of New South Wales, emphasised the significance of art therapy for people living with dementia, who are more susceptible to social isolation.
“Once people have got a diagnosis of dementia, fear can creep in about ‘I’m going to lose who I am, or I’m going to lose my partner, I’m going to be the same, I don’t know who I am,’” Dr Kenning explained.
She stressed the vital role art gallery programs play in creating a comfortable environment that invites open conversations between people with dementia and carers.
“It doesn’t matter what they’re talking about. It’s actually everybody’s equal in this space… It’s treating you like just a normal person, meeting up, having a chat,” said Dr Kenning. “It’s something that is in short supply for those people who have dementia, that sense of being treated just like anybody else.”
INSPIRING CONVERSATIONS
Dr Kenning believes art engagement needs to be considered part of everyday life.
“I think it’s absolutely crucial that we take art out into communities more and more… Everybody should have access to art or art experiences in some way or another, and that can be small experiences or big experiences, doing their own drawings or seeing the most fantastic artworks. But those artworks that are in galleries, everybody deserves the chance to see them.”
Maartensz agreed:
“There’s not a lot for people living with dementia to be able to go and engage in out in the [Hunter] community,” said Maartensz. “When people come to the gallery, they’re part of the gallery community.”
Art Gallery exterior on High Street, Maitland. Photo: Caitlin Maloney.
Another feature of the Maitland Regional Art Gallery’s program is visiting dementia care facilities in the local area. Maartensz affirmed this creates a wonderful experience for the residents and their carers.
“[Carers] don’t have a lot of time when they’re in the facility to just sit down and talk to the person, but [during the art program] they’ll have the conversation about the artwork, and all different things will come up about their life,” she told Central News.
Dr Kenning explained the important role art-dementia programs play in providing carers with breaks from common conversations more often centred around memory or medical appointments.
“Sometimes the carers will see their person they’re caring for in a completely different light… carers suddenly realise that this person feels something or is sad about something or happy about something…. It stops us from underestimating what people can do,” Dr Kenning told Central News.
Jill enjoys being able to talk to other participants and carers, to learn about their experiences in order to better understand her own.
“It’s not just from the person who has dementia, it’s from the carer too. [It’s] very, very important, because I think you can become very isolated,” said Hannan.
Jill Hannan adores talking about the art with her husband Bob. Photo: Caitlin Maloney.
She adored the entire experience of the program, especially spending time with Bob in a comfortable and familiar environment.
“We always have a cup of coffee or something to eat at the cafe. And then we go around, and you do art, see artwork, discuss it.”
She laughed, “Bob draws a boat. I try and draw something from the exhibition, but I haven’t got any really artistic value in me at all.”
Main photo by Caitlin Maloney.
*The Constructive Journalism in Communities (CJIC) project has been made possible by the philanthropic support of AGL for regional communities. UTS has maintained full editorial control and independent journalistic standards.
