Granger St. Studios
I have several different talks I can share with your group or community. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ME AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT INTERACTIVE PRESENTATIONS AVAILABLE
What does it mean to be ‘Dementia Friendly?’
What are Visual Thinking Strategies and how can that help me engage with a person living with dementia?
How can I use images to help communicate with someone living with dementia?
I use Zoom and can do a live program or am happy to record a half hour program that you can share with your community.
This was a freezing cold day in January but residents appreciated a workshop that focused on warmth! After looking at some beautifully sunny paintings by Vincent van Gogh and other artists we created our own warmth by making lots of abstract pictures using a fistful of markers!
I don’t have to ask the health care aides to participate-they usually just jump right in and everyone has a great time sharing what they see.
Residents want to stay in our workshops. There is something magic in the air of a space where color and art and laughter is happening!
Residents love looking through postcards so we often ask a question that has a postcard “answer” such as, “Which of these pictures would you most like in your room?” (of course…they get to keep the card)
A small group of women residing in a memory care facility outside of Boston met monthly for a special art time. I liked to take their photo while they were working on their art-then I added to their sketchbooks as a keepsake for them to share with family and friends who visit.
Residents were each given precut strips of tape and invited to create designs on a hardbound sketchbook which I had already ‘primed.’ After they added the tape they then painted their books.
Meant to be shared! Caring for a senior who is dealing with dementia or other health issues can be challenging, but also joyful and rewarding. Hilda's Story: New Bedford, Massachusetts is an interactive read-aloud designed for entertainment, understanding, comfort, and connection.
Granger St. Studios is a trusted and valued provider of Memory Cafés in Massachusetts. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
A one hour program within 25 miles of Marblehead is $150 and includes all materials.
We had a discussion about stained glass and looked at some images by Chagall and Matisse before a lively coloring session. I made these images by using black glue on printed acetate, then backed them with a sheet of printer paper so people could see their colors. They are using a variety of Sharpies to color.
We met outside this beautiful Senior Center on the SouthCoast of Massachusetts and celebrated a years worth of birthdays by looking at the work of Wayne Thiebaud, whose luminous paintings of cakes, gumball machines, and other symbols of mid-century Americana made him one of the country's most recognizable and beloved artists. We then painted cupcakes and had a tasty treat.
I also make videos (around 30-35 mins) of ‘Virtual Memory Cafés’ that include lots of history, art history, and other video fun. Available for purchase and you can share the link with your entire Senior Center!
We provide monthly programs in several towns and are available to supplement your regular programming using visual art and art history.
How wonderful to have these three smiling faces at our Memory Café on the North Shore of Boston! If a Home Health aide joins it’s a great opportunity for them to learn more about the communication techniques using images and also just to get a little break and have fun with the person they care for. ♥
This group purchases a virtual café each month and publishes the link in their digital newsletter,
Building stronger connections while creating and having fun! A good fit for 8-50 employees.
You can reward your home health team with a fun and artsy experience while building their knowledge of best practices with dementia communication!
Photo Credit: "Southeastern Veterans Center" CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ABOUT THE Full Day Team Building Workshop
Smiling faces all around at this Team Building workshop!
Prompts are thoughtfully sprinkled throughout the day.
Something we consider as we work through the day, making art and strengthening connections.
Adults: Schedule your Classes HERE.
Are you an Experienced Artist, Beginner, or somewhere In-Between?
Living with memory loss or just living in this wacky world and you want to learn more about making art?
All are Welcome!
Don’t you love this color palette? So soothing.
Three different adult students used three different types of watercolor as we experimented to create a beautiful birch tree painting.
This student was much more satisfied with her work after she added a little bit of colored pencil in a few spots.
The space is purposefully tidy and without distraction. I like a neat studio! The natural light is beautiful in here. Max of 3 students.
When you walk into the studio there is a supply closet and one of my large paintings. There is a restroom through another door that we share with the small staff of the coffee shop next door.
A view from a student’s seat.
As part of our introduction to mixing colors students used pastels to create soft blended effects in this guided drawing.
This group of three students all had the same reference and same guided drawing instructions but isn’t it awesome to see how unique their drawings are?!
This is part of our color unit - giving students a chance to unleash their wild abstract side as we create colorful coasters using regular ceramic tile and alcohol inks.
This Waldorf inspired wet on wet watercolor seascape is a great way to take the pressure off of yourself when painting. We are using 140lb watercolor paper and as the colors blend it’s magical!
This woman is a very accomplished artist who is happily painting again! She found her color voice again through 1:1 time. The best part of spending this time with someone is hearing the stories that come out during their painting. She loves gardening and the sea and we got to talk about both with joy.
Most of the oil painting students I work with like using this airtight rubber palette made by Masterson. It comes in different sizes…and it’s the one I use myself.
This is part of a series one of my students is working on right now. We are exploring the world and life of John James Audubon and after choosing a bird she’d like to paint we do an ‘echo’ drawing (I draw on a paper while she follows me step-by-step) she often tells me her own ‘bird stories’ while oil painting. These are sweet little postcard sized canvas.
As a precurser to her oil painting we worked for a couple of weeks with watercolor. This really helped us both get comfortable with each other and allowed me to assess where she is at with her painting.
Reminiscence therapy was conceived in the 1960s with the idea that looking back at our lives and recalling, discussing and interacting with someone in the present is therapeutic.
For people with Alzheimer’s disease and their families, a remembered moment from the past is a gift. Memory loss and confusion are the hallmarks of dementia and Alzheimer’s, as the diseases progressively damage brains cells, but photographs, music, and memorabilia from the past can trigger memories and provide a bridge for caregivers and loved ones to communicate and connect.
A Memory Kit is a box or bag filled with items and activities centered around a place, time, or theme. A kit could contain famous photographs from a decade, a CD with music from the era, or anything that evokes a sense of the time period. Kits can also be centered around activities such as cooking, outdoor recreation, music and dance, or world travel.
Apple for size comparison. Each carefully curated kit is contained within this sturdy canvas bag. Tags can be personalized for your senior center, library, or perhaps you want to gift something like this to an assisted living facility. ☺
Through five editions, The 36-Hour Day has been an essential resource for families who love and care for people with Alzheimer disease. Whether a person has Alzheimer disease or another form of dementia, he or she will face a host of problems. The 36-Hour Day will help family members and caregivers address these challenges and simultaneously cope with their own emotions and needs.
Mayberry, with all the characters who made us smile, is included in the “Tool Time” Kit.
Aquapaints give a lovely balance of creative touch, sense of achievement and pure joy for people with dementia. Simply brush the ‘white’ sheets of paper with water and watch as the beautiful pictures magically appear. Once finished, leave the sheets to dry to use them time and time again.
We’ve all heard about how much music can help the person living with dementia. This is the CD included in the ‘Transportation’ Kit.
What would a ‘Gardening Kit’ be without a garden? Relax and get creative with this tabletop garden.
This smallish wood board comes complete with a variety of screws, bolts, a wrench, and a screwdriver. The perfect activity for a carpenter or woodworker.
Products that are beautiful to touch, engaging, and sustainable. The handcrafted wood beads are included in the ‘Color My World’ Kit.
Most Kits include a puzzle-some are 35 pieces and made of wood. This 100 piece Red Sox puzzle is included in the ‘Made in Massachusetts’ Kit. A great activity to share!
