Resources
Van Gogh Meets: How the van Gogh Museum Helps People Grow Older in Good Health
In 2018, the van Gogh Museum — one of the best known and visited museums in the Netherlands — organized special days at the museum for visitors 70+, many of whom had not previously visited …
Talking Memory Program
This webpage describes the goals and background of a new program for older adults launched in February 2022 by the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology at Oxford University. Talking Memory is designed to enhance …
Older and Wiser? Creative Ageing in the UK 2010-2019
This review of The Baring Foundation’s decade-long funding for creative aging examines “how far has it come” and considers “where it should go next.” The report is an excellent overview of recent developments in cultural …
New Agency to Offer Support for Arts and Older People
This 2019 announcement from The Baring Foundation outlines a major new investment in creative aging in the form of a three year grant to launch a new national support agency. The announcement describes the background, …
Meet Me at the Museum Program
The Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford (UK) has operated Meet Me at the Museum since 2016. A pilot program at first, it was co-designed with initial participants. The program brings community living older people together, some …
Participant Testimonials From Meet Me at the Museum Program
In July 2019, The Museums at Oxford University hosted a workshop, “Social Prescriptions” that included testimonials from three participants’ in the Pitt Rivers Museum’s Meet Me at the Museum Program, which supports older people and …
Effects of “Thursdays at the Museum” at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on the Mental and Physical Health of Older Community Dwellers
This is a report on a two-part study demonstrating that the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ participatory art-based activity, known as “Thursdays at the Museum,” “improved the well-being, quality of life, and physical health (i.e., …
Doctor’s Orders: ‘Social Prescriptions’ Have Been Shown to Improve Health
This article reported on the announcement of a pilot program, “Social Prescriptions,” at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) that allowed doctors and social workers to prescribe activities, such as museum visits, that promote social connections. …
Museums, Oral History, Reminiscence and Wellbeing: Establishing Collaboration and Outcomes
This report on The Oxford Museum’s Memory Lane Program is more than an analysis of one program. It provides an overview of the theoretical and curatorial bases for reminiscence and oral history programs while weaving …
Good Times: Art for Older People at Dulwich Picture Gallery
In 2010, after an initial period of operation, the Dulwich Picture Gallery collected information on its program, “Good Times: Art for Older People” from coordinators, artists, gallery teachers, and participants. The emphasis was on their …