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Virtual Art Museum Programs and Creative Engagement for People Living With Dementia to Brighten Long Winter Days:

As winter settles in and daylight grows shorter, caregivers often find themselves searching for meaningful ways to engage loved ones living with dementia. The cold months can be isolating, especially when weather makes outings difficult. Fortunately, many art museums and dementia-support organizations offer virtual programs, interactive online sessions, and remote creative experiences designed to stimulate the mind and bring comfort during the long winter season.


Art experiences—whether in person or virtual—support:

  • Intellectual stimulation

  • Reminiscence

  • Creative expression

  • Conversation

  • Social engagement

  • Caregiver–participant connections

These programs can create warm, joyful moments even on the darkest days of winter.


Why Virtual Programs Matter During Winter

When outdoor activities become limited, virtual engagement offers:

✨ Gentle structure and routine

Scheduled sessions help break up long days indoors.

✨ Emotional warmth and connection

Art, music, storytelling, and conversation support joy and meaning.

✨ Easy access from home

Perfect for days when travel is difficult.

✨ Bonding for care partners and participants

Virtual programs are designed to support relationships—not just activity.


Top Virtual Dementia-Friendly Programs You Can Join This Winter


These programs are free, accessible, and intentionally created for adults living with dementia and their care partners.


1. See Me at the Smithsonian – Virtual (FREE)

A highly interactive museum exploration program designed specifically for adults living with dementia.

Participants engage with Smithsonian collections through small-group discussion and multisensory prompts. Programs rotate between different Smithsonian museums.


2. SPY with Me – International Spy Museum (FREE)

A lively virtual program where participants explore spy stories, music, and artifacts. Perfect for those who enjoy history, mystery, or novelty.


3. The AFA Teal Room – Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (FREE)

A 24/7 online hub filled with therapeutic virtual activities, including:

  • Creative arts

  • Music

  • Fitness/movement

  • Nature programming

  • Recreational activities

Archived videos allow you to engage anytime—ideal for snowy or quiet winter afternoons.


4. Dementia Action Alliance – Online Engagement Program (FREE)

A daily online engagement series supporting social connection, empowerment, and creative expression.

Programs include:


5. Mt. Vernon Virtual Memory Café – Senior Helpers & Connections for Seniors (FREE)

A warm, supportive virtual café for individuals experiencing memory loss or dementia and their caregivers.

Activities support:


Additional Virtual-Friendly Art Museum Programs Across the United States


Many art museums now offer hybrid or digital versions of their dementia-inclusive programs. Winter is an excellent time to explore their online resources, videos, and virtual galleries.

Below are museum programs with informational links:


Virtual Art Museum Programs and Creative Engagement for People Living With Dementia to Brighten Long Winter Days


Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, Louisiana

  • Program: Meet Me at the Museum Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, and hands-on art making activity.


Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, Pennsylvania


Amon Carter Museum of Modern Art, Fort Worth, Texas

  • Program: Sharing the Past Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion as a connection to past experiences.


Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

  • Program: Art in the Moment Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, and hands-on art making activity, led by art therapist or museum educators.


Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York

  • Program: Pilot Project in 2018 Description: Afternoon art and music for individuals living with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and care partners. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra performed at the museum; free admission.


Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, Dover, New Hampshire

  • Program: Alzheimer’s Café Description: Monthly café/social activity in an intergenerational environment.


Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas

  • Program: Creative Connections Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, hands-on art making activity, café/social activity, in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Association and Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education. Registration required; no fee.


Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York

  • Program: Meet Me at the Museum Description: Monthly gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, and café/social activity, in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Association Rochester & Finger Lakes Region. Registration required.


Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas

  • Program: Meaningful Moments for Individuals Description: Monthly gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, and hands-on art making activity. Registration required; no fee.

  • Program: Meaningful Moments for Care Facilities Description: Monthly gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, and hands-on art making activity, offered at the museum or as outreach at care facilities.


Davis Museum of Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts

  • Program: Making Memories Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion. Registration required; no fee.


Detroit Institute of Arts Museum, Detroit, Michigan

  • Program: Minds on Art Description: Five-week program with gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, and hands-on art making activity. Separate groups for early stage and mid-stage dementia. Registration required through Michigan Alzheimer’s Association.


The Frye Art Museum, Seattle, Washington

  • Program: Here: Now – Arts Engagement for Adults Living with Dementia Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion.

  • Program: Alzheimer’s Café at the Frye Description: Café/social activity immediately following the Here: Now program.

  • Program: Bridges Description: Off-site creative arts programming and conversations at private homes or care facilities in the Seattle area. Registration required; fee may apply.

  • Program: Meet Me at the Movies Description: Theme-based clips from films are shown to connect participants with memories. No registration required. Locations: Frye Auditorium Seattle, Rose Theatre Port Townsend, and Bainbridge Island Museum of Art Bainbridge Island.

  • Program: Creative Aging Conferences, Lectures, and Films Description: Activities for art and health care providers as professional development regarding dementia awareness. Registration required.


Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, California

  • Program: Alzheimer Tours Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, initiated and led by students, and virtual online art tours bimonthly, in collaboration with California Southland Chapter of Alzheimer’s Association.

High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Program: Musing Together Description: Monthly gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, led by a teaching artist, in collaboration with Georgia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida


John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin

  • Program: SPARK! Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, hands-on art making activity, musical performance, ballroom dancing, and performances.


Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan

  • Program: Connections Tours Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion when the museum is closed, using themes like five senses, sense of place, and America the beautiful.


Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas

  • Program: Away We Go Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, and virtual activities during Covid-19. Registration requested; no fee.

  • Program: Viewpoints Description: Hands-on art making activity with a sensory focus.


Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin

  • Program: SPARK! Description: Monthly gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, and hands-on art making activity. Registration requested.


Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, Manhattan, Kansas

  • Program: Visual Thinking Strategies Description: Programs with discussions related to visual thinking strategies through art making for people with dementia, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other groups. Offered in conjunction with community organizations, along with virtual and other activities for senior groups and senior living facilities, including those with memory loss.


Meadows Museum, Dallas, Texas

  • Program: Connections Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, hands-on art making activity, along with music, literature, dance, and storytelling in a three-day program format.

  • Program: Reconnections Description: Café/social activity, exploration of the galleries, and hands-on art making activity, in collaboration with Greater Dallas Chapter of Alzheimer’s Association.


Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York

  • Program: Met Escapes Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, hands-on art making activity, and multi-sensory activities. Registration required; no fee. Resources for Visitors with Dementia and Their Care Partners provides helpful tips and itineraries available online.

  • Program: Met Memory Café Description: Café/social activity in support of museum visit. Registration required; no fee.


Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

  • Program: SPARK! Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, hands-on art making activity, and café/social activity. Program for groups from care communities is available. Registration required.


Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, Minnesota


Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, NY

  • Program: Meet Me Description: Monthly gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, and hands-on art making activity. Registration required.

  • Program: The MoMA Alzheimer’s Project: Making Art Accessible to People with Dementia Description: A full range of resources and programs for art and health professionals designed for working effectively with people living with dementia and care partners as part of the MoMA Alzheimer’s Project. Resources include guides for creating art programs, modules for engagement with art, publications and research, online/website resources, conference/training/workshop presentations, along with programs delivered to people living with dementia - onsite or offsite interactive gallery discussion program, monthly. More Information


Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia

  • Program: Connections Description: Monthly gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, and hands-on art making activity. Registration required.


Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston, Texas

  • Program: Looking Together Description: Monthly gallery tour for art viewing and discussion. Registration required; no fee.


Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina


The Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

  • Program: Making Memories Description: Monthly gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, and virtual activities. Registration required; no fee.


Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania


The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC

  • Program: Creative Aging at the PhillipsDescription: Off-site hands-on art making activity delivered in a multi-visit program to seniors’ facilities as art therapy, in collaboration with Iona Senior Services.


Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Arizona

  • Program: Arts Engagement Program Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, and hands-on art making activity, offered twice a year. Registration required; fee-based.


Rockwell Museum, Corning, NY

  • Program: Meet Me at the Museum Description: Monthly gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, alternating between the Rockwell Museum and the Corning Museum of Glass, in collaboration with the Memory Maker Project and Alzheimer’s Association. Registration requested.


Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC

  • Program: See Me Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion. Registration required.


Studio Museum, Harlem, New York

  • Program: Arts & Minds Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, and hands-on art making activity, delivered at several sites in New York City.


Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, Florida

  • Program: Connections Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, in conjunction with Alzheimer’s Association. Registration required; no fee.


Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Program: Contemporary Journeys Description: Gallery tour for art viewing and discussion, and hands-on art making activity. Registration required; no fee.



Creating a Cozy, Spa-Like Virtual Art Experience at Home

To make these programs even more relaxing and enjoyable:

  • Dim the lights or use warm lamp lighting

  • Play soft instrumental music during transitions

  • Use a diffuser with lavender or citrus

  • Display art books or calming images

  • Offer warm blankets or shawls

  • Provide simple art supplies for hands-on options

These little touches help transform virtual programs into full sensory experiences, not just screen time.


Final Thoughts

Winter doesn’t have to feel isolating. With today’s abundant virtual programs—from art museums to dementia organizations—caregivers can access meaningful, creative, joyful activities no matter the weather.


These programs bring connection, color, and comfort into the home, helping transform long winter days into opportunities for engagement and shared joy.

 
 
 

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