WAUSAU, WI.- The Woodson Art Museum has received a $6,500 Helen Bader Foundation Planning Grant to develop an art-based program for Wausau and north central Wisconsin adults who have early to mid-stage Alzheimer’s Disease and their families.

In a prepared statement, Woodson director Kathy Kelsey Foley wrote, “We are honored to be one of only five Wisconsin museums to receive Helen Bader Foundation funds in this initial planning phase. The potential to make a meaningful difference in the lives of older adults with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers by connecting the Woodson’s art collections to their lives is inspiring. Adding programs for this under-served audience reinforces the Woodson’s role as a provider of lifelong learning opportunities.”

Woodson educators Jayna Hintz and Erin Narloch will spearhead the July 2009-January 2010 project, with their first task being to organize community partners who have experience in working with this special audience. In mid-July, Hintz and Narloch participate in a two-day training session at the Museum of Modern Art in New York to learn firsthand about the “Meet Me at MOMA” program, which the Helen Bader Foundation views as a model for Wisconsin museums.

The Foundation’s goal is to have programs ready to roll out starting in June 2010 at the Woodson Art Museum as well as the Milwaukee Public Museum, Museum of Wisconsin Art (West Bend), Racine Art Museum, and the Kohler Arts Center (Sheboygan).

Through its Alzheimer’s and Aging program, the Milwaukee-based Helen Bader Foundation aims to make Wisconsin a leader not only in addressing the challenges posed by this disease, but also in how individuals and communities view growing older and the later stages of life. Through an emphasis on program development, education and training, applied research, and public policy, the Foundation works to bring hope to families grappling with the disease. It has granted more than $31 million for aging-related programs across the state since 1992.

To get involved in Alzheimer’s programming at the Woodson or for further information, contact Jayna Hintz or Erin Narloch at museum@lywam.org or 715-845-7010.