Art Therapy Project Enters Second Year

Last year, Anderson Artists Guild member Shea Abramo was approached by staffers from the Clemson Arts Center about participating in a new program to integrate art into a local memory care facility.

The year-long residency was supposed to start in January 2024 but was postponed for a month while Abramo recovered from Covid. Finally, she started going weekly to Clemson Downs, where she showed an artist’s work as inspiration and then had the participants create something with their hands. Each week’s efforts were later put together to make one collaborative piece, and there are plans to host an exhibit of these weekly products.

The challenges were both familiar and new. Most people don’t think they’re creative, for instance. But there were added difficulties, with some people nonverbal or unable to use their hands well. “I had to arrange each activity to meet the spectrum,” said Abramo. But most activities were beautifully done, she said, from painting to clay to block printing to sculpting.

The results so far have been exciting for both residents and artist. “I had zero experience with dementia or memory care,” said Abramo, who got to know the community and connected with each person through their art. “It’s the most purpose driven I’ve felt in my career.” Most rewarding was how the act of creating art triggered not only memories but good memories, like one person remembering how Catholic nuns in Manhattan had done similar art projects with students.

The impact was even more dramatic on Abramo herself, who has had a very difficult year including a house fire, the loss of her home due to Hurricane Helene, and her dog’s death. “That made this past year heavy,” she said. “But this residency took me away from my circumstances. It almost did more for me.”

The residency, which was supposed to last just a year, will continue and will be expanded to an additional facility. It will also become more research oriented, working with Clemson University’s Institute for Engaged Aging and the University of Florida. Ultimately, it will provide lessons that can be applied elsewhere.

“It started so big, and we’re finding out it’s much bigger,” said Abramo.