“Please Touch”  Workshop Announcement 

Support Your Museum, Support Your Community, and Have Fun! (No experience necessary)

Montgomery Museum is once again partnering with Commonwealth Senior Living at Christiansburg  (CSL) on a fun project to enhance the lives of the residents in their Memory Care Neighborhood. The concept is to produce works of tactile art with different textures so they can be appreciated by this community  Usually artwork has a ‘Do Not Touch’ sign on it, so the residents with cognitive disabilities do not get to enjoy the art in the rest of the facility. This project is to give these residents an opportunity to experience art on their terms. 

We will be holding two workshops in February. Come to learn how to create for residents with cognitive decline; how to use color and line to draw attention; and how to create different textures that can be safely felt by the residents without damaging the paintings. During the workshop, you will create one (or more) paintings using the materials provided (e.g. canvas board, acrylic gel media, fake fur, pebbles, sandpaper, stencils, stamps etc.).  However, you are welcome to bring your own textures in addition to those available. Certain guidelines must be followed, and this will be discussed during the workshop.

Registration is required to participate . You can choose to register for one of these two workshops. If you would like to participate but do not want to attend a workshop, you may register for $10 and pick up a standard canvas board from the museum and work on it at home.

One of the workshops will be held midweek, and one on a Saturday afternoon, for those of you who work during the week. The cost of the workshop includes materials  and instruction. All materials are being provided by Commonwealth Senior Living at Christiansburg : the cost of the workshop will go to support the Museum’s Capital Campaign, which includes installation of an elevator.

The workshop will begin with a talk by Paula Harder, the Vice President of Resident Programs & Memory Care at CSL, on the experience of people with dementia and how best to reach these residents through art. Paula will also describe CSL’s  Expressions program in which interested residents are guided in a small painting class. 

Linda Hinson and Sue Hossack will lead the workshop to explain the different concepts and how to create textures. It may get messy!

The workshop will be held at the museum, downstairs in the community room. If you have difficulty with stairs, let us know so we can accommodate your needs! There will be a place on the registration form to indicate this.

Important dates:

• Feb 8: Registration deadline for workshop 1

• Feb 20: Registration deadline for workshop 2

• Feb 11 (Tuesday) 1-4pm: Workshop 1

• Feb 22 (Saturday) 1-4 pm: Workshop 2

• April 15: Registration deadline  to purchase a canvas board

• April 29 Drop off art at museum

• Paintings will all be the same size so they can be moved around on the walls, with some being located lower down for access by wheelchair users

• Please understand that your paintings may be damaged during the exhibition.

• Artists may choose to donate their work to CSL or to pick them up at the completion of the exhibit

• All pieces will be examined by the staff of CSL for safety and appropriateness before being displayed

• The art will be on display at the museum for the month of May, then moved to the Memory Care Neighborhood at CSL for three months