Marti Sanders has seen firsthand the positive impact art can have on people suffering from dementia.
“It just brings them alive in the moment,” said Sanders, a 60-year-old Ridgefield resident who does community development for CDM Services. “It’s so beautiful to see the transition that happens.”
Sanders facilitates weekly art sessions at CDM Adult Day Services Center in Vancouver’s Uptown Village for people dealing with dementia. She teamed with Brush Prairie artist Pat La Croix to display the art at SWIFT Gallery in the Battle Ground Community Library in May and June.
Camas art therapist Geoff Walker, 38, who sits on the Arts of Clark County board with La Croix, 58, gave a talk at the exhibit opening on how art affects the brain.
“Art can help to not only maintain our acuity, but spark interest in being joyfully alive,” he said.
The healing effects of art on the CDM Services clients was very apparent — and inspiring, La Croix said.
“I was moved to tears,” she said.
The CDM Services exhibit is now on display at the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, where it will remain through Aug. 15. To learn more about the program, contact Sanders at 360-896-9695.
Short film with local roots lands in classrooms
When a family member told Vancouver’s Jacqueline Langis a story about a boy who learns friendship through the insects he collects, she was transfixed.
“I thought that was so adorable,” she said.
That story became the basis for an as-of-yet unpublished children’s story book, “Philip and the Butterfly.”
Langis’ nephew, Sébastien Deschênes, was taken with her book. So for a 2007 school project he turned it into a short animated film that is a little more than five minutes long. He went on to submit the film to various film festivals and organizations.
The National Film Board of Canada took interest in late 2008, which led to Langis, 49, editing and rewriting the story for the next four months while Deschênes tweaked the illustrations and images.
Langis admits that the editing process was a challenge. For starters, French — not English — is her first language. In addition, before starting work on “Philip and the Butterfly,” Langis said she never thought of herself as a writer.
A distribution deal was struck in July 2009, and the film was officially released in May. It is being marketed to students in the United States, Canada and Europe.
Langis hopes the story, which follows an insect collector who finds a best find, resonates with children. “It teaches everybody that you can choose to kill and to keep the thing for yourself so you can look at it every day on that piece of board, or you can respect that life, let it be and admire it in a different way,” she said. “To me, it’s really about respecting your environment and preserving it.”
Bits ’n’ Pieces appears Mondays and Fridays. If you have a story you’d like to share, call Courtney Sherwood at 360-735-4561, or e-mail features@columbian.com.
