Why Cultural Spaces Can Make a Difference to Your Brain Health

Museums and galleries are special places where individuals and communities can come together for connection, wellbeing, and sense making. There is growing evidence that visiting cultural spaces can lower anxiety levels, lift depression and loneliness and potentially slow cognitive decline and decrease the risk of developing dementia. 

How can a museum or gallery be good for your brain health? Art, creativity and cultural engagement stimulate the brain, building its resilience and reserve. With aging populations worldwide, the number of older people is rapidly increasing—yet cultural spaces are not programmed or designed to address the brain health of this growing demographic.  

During World Alzheimer Month, on September 17th, the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) at Trinity College Dublin will host a webinar exploring the brain health benefits of art, culture and creativity, and how museums and galleries can become innovative spaces that promote the community’s brain health.

Can we adapt these creative spaces to become more brain health friendly, particularly for older people? What programs need to be developed and how can they be created and implemented across sectors? These questions and more will be explored by our panel of experts from the world of cultural production, museum directorship, curation and research. They will discuss the existing programs that support brain health in a local and global context, and debate the challenges and opportunities in developing cultural spaces to benefit life course brain health.

Please join us to ask our experts or tell us how we can make museums and galleries a better place for your brain health as you grow older.

Speakers

The webinar will be chaired by Brian Lawlor, Founding Director of GBHI at Trinity.

• Brian Kennedy — Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health, Consultant Adviser to E.A. Michelson Philanthropy and former art museum director
• Sheena Barrett — Head of Research and Learning, Irish Museum of Modern Art
• Caroline Campbell — Director, National Gallery of Ireland
• Dominic Campbell — Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health, Director and Co-Founder, Creative Aging International