The Art Gallery of NSW has launched Arts Engagement for People with Dementia as part of Dementia Awareness Month.

Viewing art can be a source of both pleasure and enriching social interaction for people living with dementia, according to a new study. The Art Gallery of NSW, in conjunction with Alzheimer’s Australia NSW, has launched Arts Engagement for People with Dementia ­­– a newly published study of the Art Gallery’s Arts Access programme for people living with dementia – as part of Dementia Awareness Month.

The Gallery’s structured programme for people living with dementia and their carers – which followed a similar programme set up in 2006 by The Museum of Modern Art in New York – is designed to provide opportunities for meaningful and interactive engagement with artworks, offer intellectual stimulation and encourage self-expression as well as to promote lifelong learning and help reduce the stigma surrounding dementia.

^{Arts Access programmes at the Art Gallery of NSW}

This study, commissioned by the Gallery in 2015, involved both qualitative and quantitative research to gain an understanding of the impact of the programme for people living with dementia. The results highlight the...