PORT TOWNSEND — Aging Creatively, a new free art program especially for people with memory loss — along with their caregivers — will start this month at Northwind Art’s school at Fort Worden and gallery downtown.
“We are thrilled to be offering not only afternoon art workshops but also guided gallery conversations,” Northwind spokesperson Diane Urbani said.
Funding comes from the Olympic Area Agency on Aging, which is sponsoring Aging Creatively programming for the coming year.
Teaching artist Jodi Ericksen is looking forward to the first art workshop at 1 p.m. March 25 at the nonprofit Northwind Art School at Fort Worden State Park.
She’ll facilitate a simple art activity, involving painting or mixed media, for the one-hour classes, which will be offered every first and fourth Tuesday of the month.
All supplies are provided for the free workshops. No previous art experience is needed to enjoy them, Urbani said.
For more details or to sign up for the workshops and gallery conversations, use the Take a Class link at NorthwindArt.org; the school can also be reached at 360-379-1086, ext. 104. Advance signup is required.
Ericksen also will guide free Aging Creatively gallery talks once a month starting April 14. Northwind Art’s nonprofit Jeanette Best Gallery, at 701 Water St., will be the setting for the 1 p.m. visits, which will provide relaxed time for participants to enjoy the two- and three-dimensional art on view.
Light refreshments will be served, and no prior art knowledge is required.
The schedule of activities includes 1 p.m. art workshops on March 25, April 1, April 22, May 6, May 22, June 3 and June 24. The 1 p.m. gallery conversations are set for April 14, May 12 and June 9, with more to be announced into the coming year.
“Art activities have been shown to give people who are experiencing memory loss some really wonderful benefits,” Urbani said.
Researchers at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass., distilled them into these primary rewards: Art activities give us a respite from anxiety; they help us connect with other people in a judgment-free setting; they give us a sense of choice and control; they are a nonverbal way to express ourselves, and they provide caregivers with a respite and a fresh perspective.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know them,” Ericksen said of the Aging Creatively participants.
She added that her intention is to offer classes and gallery talks that nourish people.
Ericksen, who is from Port Townsend, is a lifelong artist who works in a variety of media, from linocut printing to fiber art. She also is a student of neuroscience who is earning a master’s degree in counseling from Seattle University.
“The more I learn about dementia, the more I understand the importance of connection,” she said, “and of what art does for the brain. It has been shown to slow the process (of memory loss) for some people.”
Northwind Art’s Aging Creatively program is based in part on a similar highly successful program at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle.
The classes and gallery talks, Urbani said, are designed to give every participant a sense of accomplishment and community.
“There’s also just the joy of making art together, and of exploring a peaceful art gallery with a welcoming guide,” she added.
More about Northwind’s nonprofit gallery shows and art classes throughout the year can be found at NorthwindArt.org.
