SPARK!
Fri Aug 14, 2026
10am – 11:30am
10am – 11:30am
SPARK!
Discover free art experiences for people with memory loss and their care families at RAM Wustum and RAM Downtown. Developed to provide a stimulating, yet therapeutic atmosphere, these creative experiences encourage the person with memory loss to actively engage in the moment and leave with a feeling of accomplishment and worth.
Each program offers a unique mix of engagement focused activities explored through visual art conversation, sensory stimulants, creative writing/poetry, music, the art of movement and hands-on art making.
The beginning of SPARK!
The Helen Bader Foundation (now Bader Philanthropies Inc.) Alzheimer’s and Aging program aims to make Wisconsin a leader, not just with challenges posed by this disease, but in how growing older and the later stages of life are viewed. Through an emphasis on program development, applied research, and public policy, the Foundation strives to offer hope to families struggling with Alzheimer’s. SPARK! was originally inspired by the “Meet Me at MOMA” program, a successful outreach effort at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, and has continued to grow and foster engagement activities using sensory stimulants combined with visual art conversations, music, poetry and hands-on art making.
RAM began the SPARK! program through researching and partnering with Racine County’s Aging and Disability Resource Center, Lincoln Lutheran, and other facilities to present this opportunity to their clients. The program has presented additional activities and events in partnership with other cultural institutions, such as the Racine Public Library, the Racine Arts Council, the Racine Heritage Museum, and Milwaukee’s Danceworks.
The Helen Bader grant.
In 2009, RAM was one of the initial five museums to receive a grant from the Helen Bader Foundation (now Bader Philanthropies Inc.) with the goal to make RAM’s collections and exhibitions more accessible to people with early to mid-stage Alzheimer’s disease and their families.
Support programs in your community.
Thank you to all of our SPARK! sponsors. Every contribution sparks joy and connection in the lives of our most beloved community members and art lovers. Our programs rely on donor and grant support. Your contribution will create new art experiences that positively transform our communities.
