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Dr. Fabu Carter, poet and senior program manager for the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, will speak about the disproportionate impact of Alzheimer’s disease on the Black community and discuss initiatives aimed at combating the disease. 

Tracy Nickolaus, exhibiting artist, will discuss her portrait work blending paint and textiles and how her personal experience with dementia and caretaking has influenced her artistic journey.  

Alicia Rheal, an artist and member of the Memory Collectors, will share her connection to Alzheimer’s and her Legacy Quilt Project, which combines portraits and domestic textiles to honor the memories and histories of individuals affected by Alzheimer’s. Rheal’s artist statement reflects the depth of her work:  

"In 2023, I joined the Memory Collectors. This group of senior women uses arts and healthy choices to fight against the onset of Alzheimer’s—a disease that took my own father. Working with these incredible women inspired the Legacy Quilt Project. Each small quilt is a collaboration with the subject using meaningful fabrics as a base for the integration of a portrait inspired by their narratives."  

Catrina Sparkman, founder of Ironers Press, The Creators Cottage and the Memory Collectors Storytelling Project, will highlight her community efforts to fight Alzheimer’s through art, quilting, storytelling and promoting healthy lifestyle choices such as exercise and nutrition. Sparkman’s Memory Collectors Storytelling Project emphasizes the importance of community support and artistic expression in delaying the onset of dementia.