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 Art Therapy 

I FEEL, THEREFORE I AM

Padua, Italy

Six Art Therapy Workshops For Seniors With Alzheimer’s Disease

All artworks in this exhibition were made by elderly people with Alzheimer's disease, without any particular art skills.

The project was born in the "Hug for Alzheimer" association, with Cristian Bissato as the psychologist supervisor, and Ione Capellaro as the photographer, who took pictures of the sessions.  

The idea was to run a series of 6 workshops with artistic techniques as pastel and charcoal, clay, acrylic, installation, and group work. The participants were motivated to explore unknown fields of activities, fantasy and sharing their ideas, thoughts and emotions through the filter of art.

Materials were sponsored by Ivan Nesterenko.

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2018

workshop 1
Colored Pastels On Paper
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This workshop started with tapping pastels on paper as a warm-up exercise.  This led to the discovery that tapping also makes dots on the paper. This brought the participants together and helped them concentrate, also surprising them. We then used the flat side of the pastel to create/draw circles and stair-like zigzags. After that, everyone was free to continue working with the image or to start another drawing from scratch.  We concluded the workshop by getting everyone to add something to a large paper on the wall, as a memory. Some of the participants drew whatever they wanted almost from the beginning.

workshop 2
Painting A Monotype: Gouache, Brushes, White Paper
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A monotype is a very good way to reintroduce colours to a person with no recent experience with colouring. It is quite simple: one paints on a moist glass, then puts a paper on top and presses down. The result can be very surprising; one has less control and less opportunity for a ‘’mistake’’.  It must be done fast as well, before the color dries out.

workshop 3
Clay: Modelling A Human Head
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Clay is a wonderful material; it can become anything at all! This time, I decided to begin with the trickiest challenge: the head. I prepared a clay ‘’dummy’’ for each participant: just a rough egg shape on a neck. I then asked them to close their eyes and feel their own ears, then do the same on their sculpture, sculpting the ears. That was the starting point for the participants’ projects. In the final stage, I gave the participants some decorations, which they applied to their creations. All participants were very satisfied with their creations, and proposed that they be exhibited in the lobby of the seniors’ home.

workshop 4
A House For Teddy: 3D Group Project, Mixed Media
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While thinking about different ideas for a project, I remembered that I have Teddy, my niece’s teddy bear, which she had forgotten at my house. I thought that Teddy deserved a better life. I brought Teddy to the workshop, together with a Cardboard box in which I have cut out windows and a door. I cut out the roof as well to make the box look like a stage model. I had everyone decide how to help Teddy and choose material to work with. Once in a while, I would hand Teddy to one of the participants, to be measured or just to refresh the participant’s memory. At the end, Teddy was very happy! He had a roof over his head, a swinging chair, a bed, curtains, a lamp, a sculpture, picture on the wall, chairs and table, a table map, a garden and a swimming pool!