Exhibition statement and six artist stories by Amber Phelps Bondaroff, with contributions from Alana Moore
When a person living with dementia creates something, whether a drawing, a sculpture, or a song, we see a part of who they are. This visibility shows us who a person is, beyond a diagnosis, and is so important in overcoming negative stigmatization for those living with dementia, and elders in general.
Our experiences with the Belong Where You Find Yourself project showed us how art can be a powerful vehicle for understanding the complexity and diversity of people’s experiences. This project demonstrates how creativity is not necessarily dependent on memory and how creative skills can stay with an individual well beyond short-term memory and even language.
Working with this group for nearly two years gave us the time and resources to hold space. Space to share stories, skills, and memories and to playfully explore creative possibilities catered to each individual’s needs. The lengthy timeline allotted to the project allowed for moments, such as the ones described above, to occur, while we patiently built relationships and trust. These are just a few of the moments we experienced over the course of the project. We hope to continue learning and building upon what has been created so far, ever striving to belong, where we find ourselves, right now.
“Community engaged art often places more emphasis and importance on the relationships amongst participants than on any end result or product… but we also had a strong framework of artistic creation… [which] looked different for each participating artist.”
– Amber Phelps Bondaroff
