The person with dementia and The Prado Museum: the art of remembering

Abstract

This paper describes some of the fundamental aspects of the activities designed for people with dementia within the educational project “The Prado for all”, from 2008-09 to the present. Typically, 20 centres specialized in the care of neurodegenerative disorders take part in the programme each year. Composed of 10-15 service users and 2-5 centre workers, the groups participate in an experience divided in two separate days/sessions, preceded by a preparation phase. In the first session, carried out in the centre, a Powerpoint presentation is used to capture the attention of the participants and stimulate them cognitively. After the presentation, a recreative or artistic activity is proposed. In the second session, developed in the Museum, the group explores in situ the artworks treated in the first session. After the Museum visit, participating centres are invited to elaborate a work related to the experience. These works are published in an Internet microsite and have been used, so far, to hold two exhibitions in Madrid during 2016.