The Kreeger Museum’s Great Hall. Photo by Robert Lautman, 2004.

By Judy Greenberg. Conversations at The Kreeger Museum: A Program for People Living with Alzheimer’s Disease and their Caregivers

On behalf of The Kreeger Museum, I am thrilled to announce the development of a new art program especially designed for people living with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), their families and caregivers.  Modeled after the pioneering Meet Me at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art, NYC) program (est. 2006), Conversations at The Kreeger Museum will similarly provide a forum for dialogue and connection through looking at art.  Docents and other arts specialists will conduct small interactive tours and discussions through the museum’s accessible galleries and grounds. During the program, tours will have exclusive access to the museum’s great architecture, sculpture, and paintings on one designated day per month.  The program will be free of charge to not only patients suffering from the disease but also to caregivers and family members who often face significant medical, emotional and economic challenges as a direct result of this devastating disease.  Initially the program will provide art tours only. In future years, it is hoped that Conversations will grow to include art making workshops, outdoor garden walks and intergenerational components.

The Kreeger Museum is uniquely equipped to create a positive and beneficial experience for AD patients and their caregivers.  The museum is a private, non-profit art museum located in what was formerly the private residence of David and Carmen Kreeger.  The Kreegers were passionate about art, music, and architecture and about how these endeavors enrich, enliven, and enhance the human experience.   In the early 1960’s, they asked Philip Johnson to design a home for them that could be easily converted to a museum upon their passing.  After Mr. Kreeger passed away in 1990, we officially opened as a museum in 1994.

The building’s timeless elegance reflects the architect’s passion for and knowledge of history and architectural styles from many great cultures and traditions.  It displays the Kreegers’ permanent collection of 19th and 20th Century paintings and sculpture.  The nearly 200 works in the collection include paintings by Monet, van Gogh, Picasso, Cézanne, Chagall, Rodin, Mirό, Moore, Kandinsky, Léger as well as very fine examples of African and Asian Art.  Through our numerous contemporary programs and exhibitions, work by leading current artists, like William Kentridge, Sam Gilliam, and William Christenberry, is also displayed.

Although we are still in the development phase of Conversations, we have already forged partnerships with leading local institutions and service providers (The National Institute on Aging, the National Coalition on Creative Aging, Sibley Hospital and Grand Oaks Assisted Living, IONA Senior Services, and others) to deliver a distinctly rich and beneficial program.  We hope to be fully operational and offering tours by November 2010.

Please stay tuned here for future announcements and if you would like more specific information about the program please contact, Derya Samadi, Program Manager at Conversations@kreegermuseum.org or 202 337-3050 ext. 18.

The Kreeger Museum is located at 2401 Foxhall Road, NW in Washington, DC.  If you would like to make a reservation for a tour please contact the Reservation Office by email VisitorServices@kreegermuseum.org or by phone (Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm): 202-338-3552.  For more general information, please check our website at www.kreegermuseum.org.