What a lovely couple of days in NYC with the folks at MOMA and the really electric group of visionary arts educators and aging services providers they drew together for the invitation only, one-day conference “Mapping Perceptions.”
MOMA has used its arts world icon status as a beacon for the field – encouraging museums and cultural institutions across the world to offer top-flight educational and art-making programming to families with dementia.
Monday night I had the great fortune to be on a panel with much honored medical researcher Dr. Eric Kandel, prolific author David Shenk, and senior curator in the Dept. of Architecture and Design Paola Antonelli, talking about Imagination and the Changing Mind. We veered a bit off track into a discussion of science/art…but it was a thrill to blend all our views and disciplines toward a goal of encouraging continued growth/learning across the life course.
On Tuesday, the program featured Richard Taylor, a panel including Richard, myself, and Peter Whitehouse talking about dementia (we missed Meg Sewell!), and a fascinating panel looking at LEARNING in the aging brain. Yes – it IS possible.
The afternoon session sent us into the galleries to look at the astounding collection (I fell in love with Paul Klee allll over again…), and break out groups that had us envisioning the future of this “movement”, and of the substance/promise of our work.
I was proud of the Wisconsin contingent – and happy to meet so many new folks doing amazing work, including my delightful lunch with Clive Parkinson.
Looking forward to being back at MOMA May 3/4 for the joint meeting of Grantmakers in the Arts and Grantmakers in Aging hosted by NCCA.
