ARTZ Philadelphia Founder to speak at Penn Memory Center

Dr. Susan Shifrin explains how interacting with and making art can help people living with dementia.

Philadelphia, PA – People living with dementia should be accorded the benefits of well-being and quality of life that others enjoy — and that includes access to, and the making of, art. Since 2013, Susan Shifrin has dedicated her life to this mission. She will talk about her non-profit organization, ARTZ Philadelphia, and the people who have inspired her work, in a panel discussion at the Penn Memory Center on April 25, 2019. The discussion will follow the screening of the film, Moment to Moment.

Moment to Moment is a short documentary by filmmaker, Mike Attie. It follows Carl Duzen and Susan Jewett as they navigate the challenges of Carl’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. The couple find comfort, connection and enjoyment in creating unique pieces of art together.

Though the film focuses on the art they create in their home studio, Carl and Susan have also been active participants in ARTZ Philadelphia programs. They have regularly taken part in lively discussions and art-making sessions at “ARTZ in the Museum” programs since Carl’s diagnosis in 2014. These are evidence-based, facilitated interactions around art that are tailored specifically for people living with dementia and their care partners.

ARTZ Philadelphia offers art-making and interactive conversation programs to over 2000 individuals each year at museums, care facilities, day centers and community centers throughout Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties.

Dr. Susan Shifrin is an art historian, curator, educator, arts accessibility advocate and the founder and Executive Director of ARTZ Philadelphia. She received her PhD from Bryn Mawr College and has worked on the staffs of a number of large and small museums up and down the East coast. She was inspired to start ARTZ Philadelphia after having hosted a series of workshops and programs for visitors with dementia at her last museum, where she was serving as the museum’s educator. She is the recipient of the 2019 Spirit of Carie Award from the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly.

To learn more about the film and panel discussion, please see the Penn Memory Center website at: https://pennmemorycenter.org/rsvp-premiere-of-moment-to-moment-love-and-resilience-in-the-face-of-alzheimers/

Information about ARTZ Philadelphia programs can be found at www.artzphilly.org