Faded Memories Symposium Series

Held in conjunction with the Faded Memories exhibition, this symposium offers a series of presentations and conversations exploring art and memory.

Faded Memories exhibition with artist Eric Dean Spruth

In the first session of the symposium, Faded Memories exhibition artist and art therapist Eric Dean Spruth discusses the works and themes in the exhibition, exploring the mortality of memory through hand-sculpted combustible objects containing documented, individualized recollections. Among the thought-provoking concepts grappled in the exhibition are issues around mental health, well-being, forgetfulness, memory loss, and the artificiality of constructed memory. Spruth will discuss among other things how we continuously reconstruct our memories as we access them, traveling through neural pathways and leaving bits of toxicity or joy behind, forever altering the memory each time. (August 14, 2021)

Art Therapy, Creativity, and the Brain with Deb Del Signore

The Faded Memories Symposium Series continues in this second session with School of the Art Institute of Chicago professor of art therapy Deb Del Signore discussing the healthful benefits of creative expression on the mind and body, including a focus on people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. (August 14, 2021)

Life-story Art in Later Life with Jon Kay

In the third and final installment of the Faded Memories Symposium Series, Jon Kay discusses the creation of narrative-driven works of art and how these objects support the artists as they age, exploring stories, memories, and self-identity in everyday life. Jon Kay is an associate professor of Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University and the director of Traditional Arts Indiana at IU’s Cook Center for Public Arts and Humanities. (August 17, 2021)

The Exhibition

FADED MEMORIES: new works by artist / art therapist Eric Dean Spruth MA, ATR (Ph.D Candidate)

VENUE:
The Bridge: A Cultural Collective, Valparaiso, Indiana
(July 23–August 23, 2021)

Artwork by Eric Dean Spruth MA, ATR (Ph.D Candidate)
Curated by Lucas Livingston
Hosted by Howie Ireland (The Bridge: A Culture Collective)

This provocative, new body of work by artist and art therapist Eric Dean Spruth explores the mortality of memory through hand-sculpted combustible bundles containing documented, individualized recollections. Among the thought-provoking concepts grappled in this exhibition are issues around mental health, forgetfulness, memory loss, and the artificiality of constructed memory. It is the artist’s hope that the exhibition leaves you with more questions than answers, considering among other things how we continuously reconstruct our memories as we access them traveling through neural pathways, leaving behind bits of toxicity or joy forever altering the memory each time and ultimately wondering where faded memories go.

All sales and proceeds will be donated to the Indiana chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

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