The paintings and sculptures at the San Antonio Museum of Art do more than inspire creativity. They're helping people living with dementia connect with others.

• Why it matters: Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia can make social connection increasingly difficult. But art can offer a way to communicate, share stories and build relationships.

🎨 How it works: The museum's free ReCollections program brings together people living with dementia and their caregivers to explore art, Axios San Antonio's Madalyn Mendoza reports.

• Participants discuss works from the museum's collection, using them as prompts for memories and personal stories.
• They then make their own art and share a meal together.

💬 "The artworks are kind of a touchstone, but we're really looking to explore personal experience," museum education director Tripp Cardiff tells Axios.

🖼️ The big picture: What began as a virtual program during the pandemic has grown into regular in-person gatherings, drawing about 477 participants in the museum's last fiscal year.

• Cardiff says he's watched participants form friendships and even make plans to see one another outside the museum.
• The museum is beginning to collect formal feedback on the program's impact.

Between the lines: ReCollections also extends beyond the scheduled sessions.

• The free program offers three sessions each quarter — one at UT Health's Center for Brain Health and two at the museum.
• 🖌️ The museum also supplies hundreds of art kits to the Center for Brain Health, where people can make art on their own or take a kit home.

The bottom line: Sometimes a work of art is less about what you see than the conversation it starts.

• For Texan readers: Upcoming sessions and registration information are available through Eventbrite.

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