Movement Project (2016)
Connections (2016)
Group Exhibition – Long Beach, CA.
“The brain is like a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Connections exhibits the work created by seniors in an art & brain health workshop. The workshop taught seniors about brain plasticity (a mechanism that helps protect against memory loss and other important brain functions), and taught them novel ways to engage in thought, exploration, and communication. The show displays their creations, which are products of their intense “brain work” that took place during the challenging problem solving exercises of the workshop. The artists’ neural connections are manifested in the artwork connecting language, movement, drawing, sculpture, and rhythm – outlining their journey in thinking about thinking.”
The Mind is a Muscle II (2016)
Funded by the Arts Council for Long Beach, and partnering with the non-profit CSULB Centro Salud es Cultura, The Mind is a Muscle II is a community health research project and art workshop for adults over age 60. We aim to help reduce dementia risk among seniors through the unique combination of Conceptual art and brain health education.
EngAGE: Ceramics Exhibition and The Brain Project (2015)
Group exhibition at The Expo Arts Center – Bixby Knolls, Long Beach, CA.
Work was curated from the EngAGE Long Beach Senior Arts Colony ceramics class facilitated by Colette Brown, artist-in-residence.
The Brain Project began with conversations about basic brain function and dementia. We talked about how a neuron works like a messenger sending and receiving information within the brain and body, and translated these discussions into ceramics. The project was modeled after an art therapy approach, first used by therapist Shirley Riley in 2004, that combined neuroanatomy lessons and drawing. Riley’s work showed that a basic understanding of how the brain works and how dementia affects the brain, is information much desired by, but rarely offered to, older adults. Translation of this scientific knowledge into art practice provides a unique point of access to the human brain.
Perspectives (2014)
The Annual Art Gallery at Whaley Park Community Center exhibits the work of 70+ children ages 5-12. Projects were facilitated by Colette Brown at Whaley Park’s Music & Arts Camp, and include group and individual work produced around themes of altered perceptions. The young artists also performed improvisational dance pieces, informed by pantomime and tableau, facilitated by Madison Ligon.
Colonial Care (2013)
Colonial Care is an assisted living center in Long Beach where Colette Brown facilitated art activities with the residents. Group projects were centered on building sense of community and memory recollection. (Shown above: T-shirt Rope Project, 2013).
Colette J Brown 