Partners for Livable Communities’ 2011 publication, Culture Connects All, was featured in the winter 2012 issue of Preserving Your Memory, a magazine supported by the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. Sam Gaines’ article, Making the Connection, outlines the publication’s key objectives, and its recommendations to arts and cultural organizations pursuing arts programs to reach out to diverse audiences. Funded by MetLife Foundation, Culture Connects All was published in 2011 to showcase cultural institutions using innovative strategies or programs to engage two of America’s fastest- growing populations: older adults and immigrants.

Culture Connects All, a benchmark report by Partners for Livable Communities, and funded by MetLife Foundation includes research and interviews with arts and cultural organizations in six cities (Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, New York City, Phoenix and Tampa).  The report briefly describes the state of the arts and culture sector, followed by in-depth examinations of immigrant and older adult populations in the six cities.

Gaines’ article includes an interview with Partners’ Penny Cuff, who explains the purpose of the report and the role of Partners as a provider of technical assistance to cultural organizations. Also featured are a list of the report’s “Top 10” recommendations to arts and cultural organizations to reach-out to new audiences as well as a more detailed look at several best practices showcased in the report. Meet Me at MoMA, a program of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, provides Alzheimer’s disease patients with the opportunity to experience the full range of the Museum’s displays in a quiet environment. Meet Me at MoMA effectively shares similar objectives to the Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. Gaines states, “Culture Connects All offers real-world examples of [outreach] principles in its pages…ultimately, community engagement and outreach is a win-win for all concerned.”

Preserving Your Memory magazine offers support to caregivers, family members and individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease by featuring enlightening and entertaining articles about healthy aging versus unhealthy aging. It presents readers with the latest research on Alzheimer’s, where to go for help, what to expect, and strategies for healthy living. Approximately 100,000 issues of the magazine are published on a quarterly basis and distributed to physician’s offices throughout the United States. 

For more information please visit:

http://www.livable.org/livability-resources/reports-a-publications/520-culture-connects-all-