Abstract

During the last decade, museums and galleries worldwide have developed special learning activities for people living with dementia (PWD) in response to over fifty million people suffering from this disease. Following guidelines established by the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA), which has more than ten years of experience delivering art activities for people in this condition, some museums and galleries have taken steps to create a multisensory environment while viewing and discussing art, which has enjoyed great success. However, there is still very little literature concerning exactly how and why such an approach is beneficial in onsite art learning activities in museums without specific therapeutic purposes nor has it concluded with any specific technical guidance. This article presents a careful evaluation of the InMind program for the early-mid stage of dementia at the Royal Academy of Arts, London (RA), informed by reference to the relevant theories in this field, and takes that as an example to assess the benefits and discuss the methods of creating a multisensory environment. At the same time, important suggestions are provided for museums and galleries in China that might aspire to provide more help to that portion of the public either suffering from dementia or caring for those who do so. The largest number of PWD are residents of China, but hardly any such efforts have so far been made there.