Urban Sensory Garden Innovation in Bringing Art to Life Chicago

Saturday, October 5th, 2019

Bringing Art to Life – Chicago, a program of art therapy, STEM education, multi-cultural intergenerational relationships, virtual reality immersion, life story appreciation and person-centered care started in 2016, has added a collaborative innovation: an urban sensory garden on the campus of Wesley Place memory care facility at Chicago Methodist Senior Services. 

Bringing Art to Life  – Chicago was made possible, in part, through a grant from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

Read about the exciting new program here:

https://www.cmsschicago.org/news-blog/urban-sensory-garden/

Bringing Art to Life Chicago Innovations

Saturday, July 27th, 2019

Bringing Art to Life – Chicago, a service – learning program for high school students in the Chicago, IL area, engages students and persons living with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia in art and other expressive arts therapies, reminiscence and life story-sharing. Students form multicultural, intergenerational relationships with their dementia partners, and participate in comprehensive educational sessions about dementia, including appropriate methods of interacting with persons living with dementia, etc.

Bringing Art to Life – Chicago is a collaboration between Cognitive Dynamics Foundation and Chicago Methodist Senior Services, and has received support from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America and High Socks for Hope Foundation. Medical students from Rush University, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois serve as facilitators of the program. Through the technology of Embodied Labs, students have virtual reality experiences living with dementia as part of their training.

During this summer’s session of Bringing Art to Life – Chicago, our high school student participants and their partners living with dementia are exploring the wonders of nature together as they plant and enjoy a sensory garden at Chicago Methodist Senior Services. The sensory garden complements the experience they are having together in art therapy, and the developing relationships help to combat stigma and build empathy.

The photos below were taken on 7-27-2019 at the sensory garden.

To learn more about Bringing Art to Life, check this link: https://www.cognitivedynamics.org/bringing-art-to-life/

Cognitive Dynamics Launches Bringing Art to Life Chicago

Friday, June 10th, 2016

Cognitive Dynamics Foundation has launched Bringing Art to Life Chicago, an innovative art therapy program for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.  The program will be based on the past 5 years’ success of Bringing Art to Life in partnership with the University of Alabama Honors College in the service learning course, UH Art to Life.

The program will bring art therapy and the opportunity for empathic, intergenerational relationships to persons with dementia and students in the Chicago area, as well as education and support for their caregivers.

Our team includes Project Directors and former UA Art to Life students, Angela Ray and Cyrus Alavi, Lead Physician and Rush University Neurologist, Neelum Aggarwal, MD, and VA Lead, Kevin Hull, JD.

The program is supported in part by the High Socks for Hope Foundation, a nonprofit started by Chicago White Sox pitcher, David Robertson and his wife, Erin.  The photographs below were made at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago at a recent fundraiser hosted by High Socks for Hope.

For more information about the program, please contact BringingArtToLifeChicago@gmail.com.

BATL Chicago team Angela Ray, Neelum Aggarwal, MD, and Kevin Hull, JD

BATL Chicago Project Directors, Angela Ray and Cyrus Alavi

Chicago White Sox pitcher, David Robertson, wife, Erin, Angela Ray and Neelum Aggarwal, MD