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Our list of participating artists is a long one… make sure you see all of the pages!     >click here  to join ARTZ and have your bio published here.

 

      
 

 

  

Barbara Fulton, Gentle Journeys

Barbara Fulton is a Graduate of the Art Institute of Boston and has many years of experience working with seniors. Her business is called Gentle Journeys. It's a traveling nostalgia program specifically created to aid those with dementia to tap into memories of happier times. A “Vintage Road Show” incorporating sight, sound, and touch designed to stimulate mental activity, ease agitation and bring positive interaction. Tangible prompts such as photos, kitchen utensils, household appliances, and other familiar items from the past provide the passport needed to embark on a gentle journey.

"I am committed to enhancing the lives of seniors by providing a calm, supportive environment where joy and laughter can surface to defeat isolation and loneliness.Barbara is in the process of earning her facilitators certification from the storytelling program "TimeSlips" and is looking forward to incorporating this method into her work with those living with Alzheimer's.


 
   

Cliona Stack, M.A., Researcher, Museum Docent

Cliona Stack has earned a B.A. in Neuroscience and an M.A. in Art History and Criticism. During her M.A. program, she completed interdisciplinary coursework such as Art and Cognition and Art and Psychoanalysis. She is currently engaged in Alzheimer’s research and is also a volunteer at the Museum of Modern Art. Given her unique background in neuroscience, she is especially interested in the Artists for Alzheimer’s organization and its commitment to engaging persons with dementia in the arts. Among her personal interests are Irish arts, including visual arts and poetry.

 

 

  
   

Liz Hilt, Graduate Student, Museum Studies

Liz Hilt is currently working on a Master's in Museum Studies from Harvard Extension School. She has a Bachelor's in Art from Northeastern University. Once her Master's degree is completed, Liz hopes to work with making museum collections more accessible to all visitors through education & outreach programming. In the meantime she keeps herself busy with work, school, and volunteering in the Museum of Science Boston's Discovery Center. Liz has varied work experience; she teaches darkroom photography to children in the summer, has worked at a movie theatre, managed several coffee shops, and led social activities in a retirement center. When she's not working, Liz can be found crocheting and watching movies with friends.

 

  
 

 

  

 

Alexandra Fram, Graphic Designer

Alexandra Fram is a graphic designer living in Boston, Massachusetts. She graduated from the New England Institute of Art in 2011 with a Bachelors of Science and plans on continuing her education. Alexandra is a member of and volunteers with the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and has worked for organizations such as University of Massachusetts and the Peabody Essex Museum. When asked why she chose to volunteer, she said, “I volunteer with ARTZ because my grandparents struggled with memory loss and I want to do something to help those currently living with Alzheimer’s and other kinds of dementia.” For her ARTZ visit Alexandra will go through the history of graphic design, using famous poster designs and other mediums. She will also lead a discussion on the impact graphic design has had on society. According to Alexandra, “I hope to create a little bit of happiness and appreciation for design, and understanding for how art impacts and reflects society.”

Contact Alexandra: 781-733-2065  E-mail: fram.alex@gmail.com

Web: http://alexfram.carbonmade.com/

 

  
 

 

 

 

  

 

Monah Gettner, Art Advisor, Publisher, Agent, Educator

After completing studies in Art History and French, Monah Gettner worked for five years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, assisting in the organisation of the photography archive in the Michael C. Rockfeller Wing of Primitive Art during its installation. In 1978 Ms. Gettner founded Hyperion Press, publishing Limited Edition portfolios by such noted photographers as André Kertesz, Robert Doisneau, Edouard Boubat, Arthur Rothstein, Ralph Gibson, Lewis Baltz, Danny Lyon and Garry Winogrand. Ms. Gettner is the exclusive agent for the work of Jacques-Henri Lartigue and specialises in 20th century vintage works by Atget, Man Ray, Tabard, Horst, Hoyningen-Huene, Dahl-Wolfe, Doisneau, Boubat, Bellmer and Steichen among others. Ms. Gettner has lectured at the Lotos Club, The National Arts Club, and the Appraiser’s Association of America in New York and at the French Library in Boston. Ms. Gettner has organised numerous gallery exhibitions both in Europe and the United States, acts as advisor to public and private collections and is a private dealer in New York City.  For more information please visit:  http://www.hyperionpressltd.com

 

  
 

 

Fine

Line

Poets

  

 

Fran Witham, Poet

Fran Witham has been writing poetry for over 30 years. Her work has appeared in a variety of journals and anthologies both nationally and internationally. She holds an M.A. in English Literature from Seton Hall University and has studied poetry at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA. She specializes in writing tanka and haiku, two forms of Japanese poetry that continue to attract poets and poetry lovers from around the world. According to Fran, " I volunteer because ARTZ believes in using poetry as a way of enriching the lives of those living with Alzheimer’s. For my visit I will read works from the great tanka and haiku poets, both from ancient Japan and modern day America. Also help attendees to write their own short poems in the spirit of tanka and haiku. I hope to have attendees experience the strong emotional connections that poetry can elicit, to help them unlock memories, tap into their creativity, and feel the power of poetry in their lives. Contact Fran at: franmwitham@mindspring.com or  visit her website: www.finelinepoets.com

 

  
 

 

Tanya Azarini, Artist

Tanya earned a B.A. from Fordham University where she majored in Natural Science (Pre-Med) and minored in Visual Art. She will be applying to medical schools and in the future, hopes to practice medicine and conduct scientific research as an M.D./Ph.D. She is also an artist and has enjoyed creating art since the time of her childhood."For me, art is the purest form of self-expression, an unfiltered reflection of my subconscious memories, thoughts, and feelings. Given my scientific background, I now have a much better understanding of the role of art in catharsis and healing. Having studied Alzheimer's disease as a Pre-Medical student, I now understand the potential for art to stimulate memory retrieval, and mitigate depression and other symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. I enjoy sharing my passion for art with people living with AD and providing them with an emotional outlet, and a means of maintaining their identities through non-verbal communication, within themselves, and with their environment. "

 
 

 

Paul Raia, Percussionist


Paul has been playing the drums since he was a small child. A psychologist by training and Director of Patient Care and Family Support at the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Association, he plays occassionally with the rock ensemble "Group Therapy." His major influence as a musician was Joe Morello, a sight-impaired drummer with the Dave Brubek Quartet.

Paul has been directing patient care and family support at the Alzheimer’s Association for the past 22 years and now serves as vice president of clinical programs at the MA/NH Chapter. He is an innovator–starting the first support group in the country, 20 years ago, for early-stage patients, and the first support group for young children aged seven to twelve who have parents or grandparents with AD. He has developed an approach to dementia care called “Habilitation Therapy,” a technique that focuses on the patient’s emotions and their remaining capacities. Many of his projects have become best-practice models and replicated nationally. As a frequent contributor to various publications and journals, Dr. Raia has written primarily on dementia as a treatable condition. He serves on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and frequently appears as an expert on Alzheimer’s for news media—television, radio and print.

 

Suzanne Faith, Floral Artist


Suzanne Faith is an internationally recognized pressed floral artist. She is also a psychiatric nurse and Alzheimer's consultant working within the Alzheimer's community. Her work is funded through grants from the Office of Elder Affairs. Her art is created with the specific intention of connecting people to the beauty of the natural world that surrounds them. According to Suzanne,"The sensitivity I bring to that awareness I also bring into the lives of the patients and families I work with." Suzanne created the "Alzheimer's Healing Heart" which graced the cover of the Cape & Islands Alzheimer's Association brochure for many years representing the need for compassion and loving support for all those invovled in the day to day life of Alzheimer's Disease. Please visit her website www.natureofdesign.com
     
 

Dianne Carr, Storyteller


Dianne Carr founded Storytailors to help artists and arts organizations. Her performance piece "Tales to the Funnybone" is taken Dianne's original stories and poems, including "Tales of the Oonies," "Tank Talk," "Dragon Days and Rabbit Ways," "Wally the Painting (Artist) Cat," and "Big Kids Little Kids. Funnybone™ has been heard on public radio, WNYE-FM’s "Everything Goes"/ "Anything Goes," WVOX’s "The Larry Goldstein Show," the New Rochelle Public Libraries, and New York venues such as The 5-C Cultural Center. Dianne’s theatrical roots go back to study with The Living Theater’s Bennes Marden, New York’s School of Performing Arts, Herbert Berghof and Earle Hyman. Dianne is also a classically-trained musician,and is the founder of the not-for-profit organization, Art Forum for Children, Inc., created to provide all children with tours of public works and monuments.
 

Kimberly M. Condon, Artist & Advocate


Kimberly is the Program Director of six years at Marillac Residence in Wellesley Hills, MA. This religious retirement home is run by the Sisters of Charity, Halifax, home for four religious communities. Kim incorporates unique programs within their prayerful, busy lives. Kim is also the creator of their newsletter Marillac Messenger, which is published seasonally. In 2005, she created the Familiar Picture Project for which she received a grant from the Wellesley Hills Junior Woman’s Club. The project focuses on those sisters with Alzheimer’s or Dementia, finding pictures from various places the sisters would enjoy and remember. To learn more about Marillac Residence, please go: http://www.schalifax.ca/sub/05retire/retire02b.html
 

Bob Reiss, Author/Journalist


Bob Reiss is the author of 18 novels and books of non-fiction. His journalism has appeared in the Washington Post, Parade, Rolling Stone, Outside and Smithsonian Magazines. His novels are thrillers. His non-fiction work focuses on the environment.


Bob's latest novel "Black Monday", (written under the name of R. Scott Reiss) about the stopping of the world's oil supply by an oil eating bacteria, has been optioned for a major film by Paramount Pictures.
"I volunteer with ARTZ because I had an idea for a novel, started to do research and realized I could help. It's a great way to give back. For my visits I work one on one, or with a group, storytelling and writing stories. I hope to explore storytelling as a way of enriching lives, enhancing memory and having fun." Reach Bob at bobreiss@hotmail.com. His website is bobreiss.com. Link to his speaking agent at: jodisolomonspeakers.com
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