Unforgettable Mauritshuis at Home
What?
Public program for residential care centers by the Mauritshuis
My roll?
Project leader
When?
2021
For the 200th anniversary of the Mauritshuis, I created Unforgettable Mauritshuis at Home. This is part of the larger program Unforgettable, which has been carried out by multiple museums in The Netherlands to welcome people with dementia, as well as their caretakers.
The purpose of the Mauritshuis at Home version is to bring the (in-person or online) workshop for people with dementia to residential care centers. This project was a collaboration with my colleague Anneloes Blok, who already had a lot of experience working with people with dementia. Together we created a concept: sensory enjoyment of art, without having to remember the details.
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Experience together
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Laurien takes the residents along with the story
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Seeing and being seen
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Materials ready for use
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Make it your own
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Experience the sent of flowers
‘What do you see?
What do you feel?
What do you think?’
I designed the program and coached the supervisors to carry it out as effectively as possible. The museum would send big blow-ups of paintings to the care centers, which we would then discuss. These weren’t conversations about technique or historical context, but rather our perception: what do you see? What do you feel? What do you think? We would also bring items along that people could feel and smell, music to which we could listen, coloring pages on which we could express ourselves, etc.
With this workshop, it doesn’t matter whether people understand or remember the content. It is a contribution to their wellbeing, because the feelings of joy, engagement, and excitement would linger. With this audience, stimulation is what they need. And if heritage can do one thing, it's to stimulate people.