The Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery have launched a pilot project associated with the Seniors Centre Without Walls.  

The program is called A Taste Of Art. It’s featuring an exhibition of Canadian Artist David Milne’s Blazes Along The Trail art collection.  

This is also being featured in the MJMAG Art Gallery. 

The program’s goal is to bring fine art into the living rooms of local seniors.  

It invites seniors to a phone-in weekly event where they talk about and analyze the artwork and also create their own art based on David Milne’s collection.  

The classes are being hosted and ran by Educator Coordinator Christy Schewiger at MJMAG and Catherine Livingstone a Dementia Educator based in Winnipeg.  

They will be using elder engagement strategies developed by the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee to help keep the participants eager and involved. 

Schweiger explained why David Milne’s artwork was chosen.

“The curator at the Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery had already booked David Milne a couple years ago and when I mentioned it to Catherine and she said that would be a wonderful artist. He’s very recognizable to the senior population and iconic Canadian imagery. So, it was just a perfect fit.”  

The MJMAG sends a package to seniors participating containing art supplies, instructions, and prints from the Blazes Along The Trail gallery.  

The dates for each weekly event are every Thursday September 16, 23, 30 and October 7, 2021.  

The events run for an hour from 10 am until 11 am.  

The program is already full with 20 participants. Those are already enrolled can call 1-855-204-8148 on the day of the classes to be automatically connected to the group.  

Seniors will benefit from this program in many ways, according to Livingstone

 “When you engage people especially seniors that tend to be isolated or living in rural environments where isolation and loneliness is a risk factor. Those seniors tend to be more at risk for things like cognitive decline... So, programs like this where we can reach out, where we can think about art in new ways is really great for things brain health.” says Livingstone.  

People can visit the Blazes Along the Trail: Exploring David Milne's Imaginative Vision exhibition at the Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery from September 17, 2021 until January 2, 2022. They’re open from 1 pm to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday and have a specialized opening every Wednesday morning from 10 am to 12 pm for seniors or anybody who is immunocompromised.  

Keep updated on the museums website www.mjmag.com for future programs.