Project Overview

Status
Planning

The goal of Opening Minds Through Art (OMA) is to help build a society that values all individuals, including older adults living with dementia. This is achieved by fostering genuine friendships between people living with dementia and volunteers through art-making activities. Founded in 2007 at the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University, OMA is an award-winning, evidence-based, intergenerational art-making program. People living with dementia (artists) are paired with volunteers (students, families, caregivers) who are trained to focus on imagination rather than memory, emphasizing remaining strengths instead of lost skills. Through this process, individuals with dementia assume new roles as artists and teachers, leaving behind a legacy of beautiful artwork. OMA has been widely replicated across the country and continues to have a significant impact on improving the lives of both individuals living with dementia and the volunteers they interact with. Visit ScrippsOMA – Building Bridges Across Age and Cognitive Barriers through Art for more information.

Aims

AIM 1: Build genuine, supportive relationships between people living with dementia and volunteers through art-making.

AIM 2: Foster social inclusion and participation for people of all ages through individual creative expression

AIM 3: Foster an intergenerational connection between different age groups, bridging cognitive and generational barriers.

Dates

OMA was founded in 2007 and continues to operate. During 2020, virtual programming began and led to the launch of ScrippsAVID in 2023.

Funders

OMA is tremendously grateful for philanthropic funding provided by the Adam R. Scripps Foundation. Recent grant funding also includes projects supported by the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation and the Ohio Department of Medicaid.

Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Dr. Elizabeth “Like” Lokon, the founder of OMA, and the Scripps Gerontology Center team for their continuous efforts in the development and expansion of this program. Additionally, recognition is given to the numerous volunteers and participants whose contributions make this program a success.

Project Personnel

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Publications

Lokon, E., Mehrotra, V., Murali, S., & Oakman, R. (2025). Using Art and Technology to Reduce Loneliness and Bridge the Age Divide: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 23(2), 125–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/15350770.2024.2307983

Dellasega, C., George, D. R., & Lokon, E. (2024). The transformative power of participating in Opening Minds Through Art (OMA), an expressive arts program for medical students. Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, 45(4), 524–536. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2023.2255537

Levenberg, K., George, D. R., & Lokon, E. (2021). Opening Minds through Art: A preliminary study evaluating the effects of a creative-expression program on persons living with dementia and their primary care partners. Dementia, 20(7), 2412–2423. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301221997290

Danker, S., Lokon, E. Pax, C. (2021). Building Bridges in the Community through OMA, an Intergenerational Abstract Art Program for People Living with Dementia. In A. Sinner, C. Lin, & R. L. Irwin (Eds.). Transversalities: International Perspectives on Community Art Education. Bristol, UK: Intellect Books.

George, D., Lokon, E., Li, Y., & Dellasega, C. (2021). “Opening Minds through Art”: Participation in a Nursing Home-Based Expressive Arts Program to Improve Medical Students’ Attitudes Towards Persons Living with Dementia. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Levenberg, K., George, D. R., & Lokon, E. (2021). Opening Minds through Art: A preliminary study evaluating the effects of a creative-expression program on persons living with dementia and their primary care partners. Dementia, 20(7), 2412–2423. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301221997290

Yamashita, T., Kinney, J. M., & Lokon, E. J. (2013). The Impact of a Gerontology Course and a Service-Learning Program on College Students’ Attitudes Toward People With Dementia. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 32(2), 139–163. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464811405198

Lokon, E., Kinney, J. M., & Kunkel, S. (2012). Building Bridges across Age and Cognitive Barriers through Art: College Students’ Reflections on an Intergenerational Program with Elders who Have Dementia. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 10(4), pp. 337-354.

Sauer, P. E., Fopma-Loy, J., Kinney, J. M., & Lokon, E. (2016). “It makes me feel like myself”: Person-centered versus traditional visual arts activities for people with dementia. Dementia, 15(5), 895–912. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301214543958

Lokon, E., Li, Y., & Kunkel, S. (2020). Allophilia: Increasing college students’ “liking” of older adults with dementia through arts-based intergenerational experiences. Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, 41(4), 494–507. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2018.1515740


Lokon, E., Li, Y., & Parajuli, J. (2017). Using art in an intergenerational program to improve students’ attitudes toward people with dementia. Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, 38(4), 407–424. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2017.1281804

Lokon, E., Sauer, P. E., & Li, Y. (2019). Activities in dementia care: A comparative assessment of activity types. Dementia, 18(2), 471–489. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301216680890