The Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) Center for the Arts exhibition “Portraits of Dementia,” runs from Jan. 31 through March 10.
More than 50 million people are living with dementia globally. In the United States, one in three seniors suffers with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia at the time of their death. And yet despite the millions of individuals and families affected, dementia is often a taboo subject with limited public awareness or discourse. “Portraits of Dementia” helps destigmatize those living with dementia through moving portraits and stories of lives well lived.
Artist Joe Wallace has been a portrait photographer and storyteller for 20 years. Like many, Wallace has a deeply personal connection with dementia. His hero, maternal grandfather Joe Jenkins, had Alzheimer’s, his maternal grandmother had vascular dementia and now his mother is facing the disease. Wallace was frustrated by the common, one-dimensional narrative of dementia—futility, despair and loss.
These are real and important aspects of the dementia journey, but focusing on a narrow perspective does little to challenge the stigma surrounding those living with the disease. Wallace believes that inspiring audiences to take action, both large and small, requires sharing the full story.
Through his photos and storytelling, Wallace captures both the struggles and the enduring love, dignity, and humanity in those affected, their caregivers and their communities—seeking to evolve the narrative and create positive social change.
A diagnosis can become a mechanism for segregating those affected from society, making it easy to see only the label instead of the individual. As Carrie Salter-Richardson, diagnosed with dementia, says, “It is my hope that my story and the stories of others just like me will start a conversation and end the stigma that comes along with this disease. Just maybe I can bring a new face to Alzheimer’s so people know that it can happen to anybody, not just the elderly.”
Organizers of the exhibit include the National Endowment for the Arts, Mid-America Arts Alliance and ExhibitsUSA.
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