Conversations at The Kreeger Museum
The Conversations program makes such a difference in Mom's life. She loves art and music, so the opportunity to spend time enjoying the beautiful Kreeger Museum, seeing and discussing a striking work of art and then listening to a fabulous music program is such a treat. It lifts her spirits and brings her such joy and makes her feel like her old self.
– Daughter of participant
Conversations, a program for individuals with mild to moderate memory disorders and their caregivers,
provides a forum for dialogue and connection through art and music. Each hour-long program includes an interactive gallery talk and a musical component provided by our partner, Levine Music. The experience is designed to stimulate reflection, reduce stress, and increase communication and sociability.
Offered the second and third Monday of each month at 11 am and 2 pm, this program is free but registration is required. Please email
conversations@kreegermuseum.org.
We are grateful to the following for their generous support:
Walter A. Bloedorn Foundation
Schedule: Fall 2019
September: Picasso
Pablo Picasso, Head of a Woman (Tête de femme), 1929, Oil on wood, 25 7/8 x 19 1/8 inches, The Kreeger Museum
Painted in 1929, Picasso’s Head of a Woman intrigues the viewer; two faces, two demeanors, two colors, but one woman. What does this tell us about the inner life of the subject? What does the work suggest about our own inner life and how it reveals itself to others?
September 9 – 11 am and 2 pm
September 16 – 11 am and 2 pm
October: Chiwara
Headdress Mask (Chi Wara), Bamana. Mali, Wood, height, 34 3/4 inches, The Kreeger Museum
This headdress from the Bamana people of Mali is a curious composition of different animals, all of which refer to some aspect of growing millet. In addition to its aesthetic intrigue, the work functioned as an integral component of worship and agricultural rituals.
October 21 – 11 am and 2 pm
November: Pissarro
Camille Pissarro, The Tuileries Gardens, Summer (Le Jardin des Tuileries, été), 1900, Oil on canvas, 21 1/2 x 35 3/4 inches, The Kreeger Museum
The Tuileries Garden, with its beautiful trees and statues, has changed very little since Pissarro painted it in 1900. But you will notice the vantage point is high, as if seen from a window. Where is Pissarro when painting this scene? We will talk about his whereabouts and in doing so appreciate how driven he was to paint regardless of age and infirmity.
November 11– 11 am and 2 pm
November 18 – 11 am and 2 pm
December: Monet
Claude Monet, Sunset at Pourville (Coucher de soleil à Pourville), 1882, Oil on canvas, 23 5/8 x 32 1/8 inches, The Kreeger Museum.
Monet is known for his colors, handling of paint, and energetic brushwork. All this is evident in
Sunset at Pourville and the viewer, like the two figures, experiences the intensity of color as the sun sets. Shortly after 1882, when this was painted, Monet stopped adding figures to his landscapes. In what ways do the figures add or detract from the landscape painting? How does Monet’s manner of painting eliminate, perhaps, the need for figures?
December 9 – 11 am and 2 pm
