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This site is under development. Please check back
periodically for new information and resources. You may also contact
us at alzheimersproject@moma.org.
What is Meet Me at MoMA?
The Museum of Modern Art is one of the first museums in the country to offer programs to make its collection and special exhibitions accessible to people with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers. In 2006, the Museum launched Meet Me at MoMA, an educational program specifically designed for people with Alzheimer's disease. This monthly program features interactive tours of the Museum's renowned collection of modern art and its special exhibitions for individuals in the early and middle stages of the disease, along with their family members and caregivers. Meet Me at MoMA gives those living with the degenerative disease an expressive outlet and forum for dialogue through guided tours and discussion in the Museum's galleries during non-public hours. Specially trained Museum educators engage participants in lively dialogue by focusing in depth on iconic art from MoMA's collection, including works by such modern masters as Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Andy Warhol. Meet Me at MoMA has shown that the act of looking at art can be a rich and satisfying experience for people with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers.
What is the MoMA Alzheimer's Project?
The MoMA Alzheimer's Project is a nationwide expansion of the Museum's outreach program for individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers. This new initiative is funded through a two-year, $450,000 grant from MetLife Foundation.
The MoMA Alzheimer's Project will broaden the reach of Meet Me at MoMA through the development of program models that can be adapted by other museums, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and Alzheimer's Association chapters across the country.
 Utilizing the expertise developed by MoMA educators, the MoMA Alzheimer's Project will produce a training manual designed to equip caregivers and museum professionals nationwide with methods for making art accessible to people living with early and middle-stage Alzheimer's; develop a Web-based version of the manual's guidelines to provide tips on teaching methodology and techniques for best practices; conduct in-person training sessions at Alzheimer's Association chapters and museums across the country, with an emphasis on practical approaches for enhancing participants' lives with art; and participate in national conferences focusing on art and health care.
MetLife Foundation's grant will also enable MoMA and NYU School of Medicine to conduct a study to measure how programs such as Meet Me at MoMA positively impact people with early-stage Alzheimer's, as well as their caregivers. The study will assess the importance of arts programs in health care and will be used to design future programs and outreach. According to the Alzheimer's Association, more than five million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer's disease.
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How does Meet Me at MoMA fit into MoMA's overall educational program?
 The
Museum of Modern Art is committed to enabling all visitors to experience
its unparalleled collection of modern and contemporary art. MoMA
recognizes the diversity of the general public's abilities and needs,
and offers a variety of programs and services to ensure the accessibility
of the Museum and its collection. The Museum strives to provide
the most inclusive environment for every Museum visitor. Through
its Access Programs, each year the Museum serves over ten thousand
individuals who have physical, learning, emotional, behavioral,
and developmental disabilities; are partially sighted, blind, hard
of hearing, or deaf; or are senior citizens. In 2000, The Museum
of Modern Art won the Access Innovation in the Arts Award. This
award was presented by VSA Arts and MetLife Foundation in recognition
of the Museum's innovations in developing programs to serve individuals
with disabilities and special needs. In 2007, MoMA received the
Ruth Green Advocacy Award from the League for the Hard of Hearing.
What is the history of the MoMA Alzheimer's Project?
The MoMA Alzheimer's Project is a nationwide initiative that builds on the success of MoMA's long history of serving people with disabilities and special needs. It further enhances MoMA's educational programming for older adults, which includes lectures, both at the Museum and off site at senior centers and assisted living facilities; an annual Grandparents Day; and regular teleconference courses for homebound seniors. The MoMA Alzheimer's Project allows the Museum's experts to focus on one particular segment of the adult population and create programming designed for the needs of those with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. From 2003 to 2006, MoMA—along with staff from Artists for Alzheimer's, a project sponsored by the Hearthstone Alzheimer's Family Foundation—began focused interviews with people who have Alzheimer's disease, and pilot programs with groups from Hearthstone. After this initial phase, MoMA independently expanded and deepened its research and program development. This included workshops for lecturers focusing on gallery teaching strategies and best practice, artwork selection, and audience-appropriate activities. Educators also receive biannual training from professionals from the New York City Alzheimer's Association and Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
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What are the goals of the MoMA Alzheimer's Project?
The MoMA Alzheimer's Project aims to:
- Continue and improve the Meet Me at MoMA program, which features interactive tours of the Museum's renowned collection of modern art and its special exhibitions for individuals in the early and middle stages of the disease, along with their family members and caregivers;
- Determine best practices in creating, developing, and implementing art-looking gallery tours and related programming for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers in an art museum setting, and for individuals in assisted living facilities or at home;
- Offer resources as well as ongoing and practical training to other museums, associations, organizations, and individuals interested in offering similar programs that meet the interests and needs of their local communities;
- Outreach to various outlets and communities to raise awareness of, and advocate for, the benefits of making the arts accessible to individuals with Alzheimer's and their caregivers.
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What resources and training sessions will MoMA make available in the future?
The following resources will be available on an ongoing basis. Please check back periodically, or e-mail alzheimersproject@moma.org with any questions.
1. Publication
The Museum plans to produce a publication that will equip caregivers and museum professionals with methods for making art accessible to people with Alzheimer's disease. Francesca Rosenberg, director of Community and Access Programs, will write an introduction to the text, and experts in the field of Alzheimer's will make contributions, including essays and technical review. Multiple copies will be made available to the Alzheimer's Association chapters nationwide, as well as to assisted living facilities, nursing homes, museums, and art centers nationally.
2. Web site
A Web-based resource will include videos of people with Alzheimer's responding to art, with tips on teaching methodology and techniques for best practice. The Web site will function as a resource providing information on successful tours, lessons plans, and thematic ideas, as well as essays and testimonials.
3. Lectures and training sessions
Lectures and interactive training sessions led by MoMA staff will take place at various Alzheimer's Association chapters, at museums across the country, and at MoMA. These programs will emphasize practical approaches from the publication for enhancing people's lives with art.
In addition, MoMA will lead Web-based training workshops. The sessions, which will include a question-and-answer period, will be geared towards program directors, community service directors, and direct caregivers. These Web meetings will enable MoMA to reach remote organizations and individuals easily and productively.
4. Participation at conferences
Outreach will also include presentations at numerous conferences, including those hosted by the Alzheimer's Association, the Society for Arts in Healthcare, the American Association of Museums, and the National Art Education Association. In connection with these conferences, MoMA will lead training sessions for those interested in developing arts-related programs.
In addition, in March 2008 a symposium, co-hosted by MoMA, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and the Society for Arts in Healthcare and scheduled to be held at MoMA, will highlight the importance and value of art within the context of health care delivery systems. The MoMA Alzheimer's Project will be showcased at this symposium. Attendees will include health care leaders, case managers, museum professionals, artists, and researchers.
5. Research
MoMA is interested in measuring how its programs affect people with early-stage Alzheimer's and their care partners. MoMA will work with NYU School of Medicine to conduct a formal evaluative study to assess the change in quality of life, mood, and level of engagement in activity of both people with Alzheimer's and their family members. MoMA will apply this research to future programs and outreach. Findings will be published as part of MoMA's publication and will be presented at conferences across the country.
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Pictured above, top to bottom:
Amanda M. Williams, MoMA Educator
Gordon M. Sasaki, MoMA Educator
Francesca Rosenberg, Director, Community and Access Programs
Photos: Robin Holland
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