The Language of Art

It had been a series of tough days for my mom — she had been more confused than usual. As a caregiver it's frustrating to watch, especially with someone close.

Momma was recently diagnosed with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. Her brain's MRI showed areas of atrophy and shrinkage. The news wasn't a surprise — she's been searching for words for a while. They are often on the tip of her tongue, and she sometimes substitutes little ditties for ends of sentences such as "La, la, la," and "Oh, you know what I mean!"

I didn't know what to do to encourage her, help her to maintain some semblance of cognition and perhaps even enrich her speaking abilities.

Then it hit me.

I've been an art lover since a high school friend introduced me to Andrew Wyeth's paintings. I now enjoy the likes of both local and established artists. My spare time is often spent at galleries and museums, especially during the hot and steamy South Carolina summer months.

As a former teacher of English as a second language, I'm also enamored by the process of language learning, and more recently, language stimulation and retention.

I just had a photograph on display at a local gallery. Mom was thrilled to hear about the accomplishment but had never seen it. The image's concept proved too abstract to explain.

While Mom has never necessarily been interested in art, I asked her, "Would you like to see it?"

I was surprised when she said "Yes," and quickly jumped on the opportunity to get her out for more than just our usual doctor visits. She slowly slipped her white shoes on and ambled to the car – familiar red sweater, yellow walker, suitcase-sized pocketbook and oxygen tank in tow.

I zipped down Main Street, not even thinking that she'd be interested in the other works of art.

After finding the handicapped parking spot, I unloaded our gear. It was a windy and rainy April day as we walked from the parking lot to the door of the colorfully painted building.

While I expected Mom to want to beeline to my photograph, she was taken with many of the other pieces of art. She immediately noticed a painting of a man fishing and spent almost five minutes reminiscing about the beach grass in the dunes on our native Long Island. 

There was also a painting that seemed to have been made by green thumb prints that she likened to an audience watching a show. Which show? The 1992 Neil Diamond concert she had gone to – of course!  Landscape paintings additionally generated a great deal of conversation giving us the opportunity to reflect on the trees and gardens that she and my dad planted more than fifty years ago.

These works of art, as well as the titles next to them, had put Mom in the mindset of the scenes she was looking at. Her background knowledge or "schema," using the educational term that cognitive learning theorist Jean Piaget called it, helped to fill in the gaps.

She described farm fields as "furrowed," a word she may not have used in years but was able to recapture after reading a title. Mom is wise to my pandering, but I said, in all genuineness, "Cool word, Mom!" We incorporated the words and memories into our conversation during the car ride home.

Snapping photos with my phone (always asking the docents — they'll usually approve provided a flash is not used), the next day we discussed what we had seen the day before. This reinforced the words, concepts and memories we talked about during that rainy day excursion.

What to do next?

Many galleries are free. Some museums offer a free weekend/weeknight visit. If one is fortunate enough to be a member of one museum, there are often reciprocal rights at others statewide, and even regionally. Both galleries and museums change their exhibits at varied intervals. 

Then there is the permanent collection, so basically visitors can go back to the same place three, four or more times in a year and see new works of art. New art? More opportunities for conversation, language use and possibly word retention.

Don't know where there might be museums of interest in your area?  The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) can assist with a simple click on the state or country you are looking for. You can use the drop-down box that allows you to choose the type of art you're seeking. As caregivers we need to feed our own souls as well!

Mom and I never did look at my photograph, even though it was right inside the door. There were just too many eye-catching works to see. I didn't mind at all.

Art for art's sake? Always. Art for language's sake? Think about it!