The process of making these pieces has really# helped me process, rationalize, internalize, externalize, all of the izes of what it's like# for him to have this condition, and also what it's like for me as a caregiver to experience him# now.

My name's Kristen M. Beck.

I'm an artist and a writer.

The exhibit is called "Before I Forget,"# and the jumping off point is that my father has dementia and I started to take on his care and# be his person.

And there are a lot of things that happen when you take on that role.

I began# to realize that there has to be a way for me to communicate as an artist and for me to process# what's happening with him and what's happening with me as a caregiver, what it's like to have# dementia.

How can I represent it visually?

How can I represent it with sound?

How can I represent it# with tactile things?

But also appreciate the time I had with him.

The time I have with him now is# different, but the time I had with him then and the difference between the two, the memories that# are resurfaced, if you will, because I've touched these ties or this shirt or the pockets and the# handkerchiefs and all the things that belong to someone, they belong to him, and the intrinsic# energy that's exchanged in that process is what I'm trying to communicate I think with some of# these pieces.

Emotion and love and laughter, those human things are, if I've captured it at all and# am able to share it in any way, the humanity and all these pieces and all the different ways and# all the different mediums, and it just makes it a human show.

Human exhibition.

The way I went about# the whole exhibit is it's truly like a set of mini installations.

As an artist, I like to experience# all mediums and all processes.

I find so much joy in that, pulling, you know, a paintbrush through# paint or thread a needle through fabric, I find that joyful.

And I thought, how could I, knowing# how to make all these things tell this story, help tell this story.

All of these pieces while# at first blush are decorative.

Like a quilt is a quilt, but if it's a quilt of your dad's shirts# that you quilted together, it takes on a different meaning.

I really wanna be able to share all these# stories and all these ideas with as many mediums as I have at my fingertips.

Now you're part of it,# you are part of that piece because you touched it, you went through the view-master, you took a# button, you wrote yourself a card, whatever it is, you're part of it now.

And I think it's almost# like that same investment as the memory, whether it's a big or small investment, you're invested# now in the piece.

I want to be able to pay attention to old school methods of making things,# combine it with new school methods of describing them, and where it met in the middle.

Besides, I# like to make stuff.

They're all really personal things that they've shared, and what an honor to# have received them all.

I had an opportunity at three different museums to gather memories.

Quilts# are functional pieces of art.

They mean comfort, they mean so many things.

Everybody can recognize# a quilt when they see it.

There's something very accessible about them too.

So to me, what a# great way to include that as a storytelling device is the quilt.

Some of them, there's a few# that will bring me to tears if I read them again.

Then there's this one that's visceral and you know# exactly what this person means.

It's amazing that all of those people share that, and that they# talked with me a little bit about it.

And just to be able to share those things again and again# is amazing.

Working with communities for me has enriched the pieces like tenfold because# my working practice, you know, I'm in like my individual space working on an individual# thing.

When I took it even further, went out to a community, so I'm out of my personal space making# things and invite them to help me create a piece, that just, it just broadened the whole thing.# It just creates this lovely space to be in and just the sharing and the social sharing# and the fact that I could say, "Look, thank you for helping me make this piece,# and come see it."

They now have invested meaning in the piece.

They've invested# themselves and they invested their story and I in turn invested my time and love for# their stories into something that will last.

There's a video with pieces that mimic or# replicate neon because I really wanted to include that sound, the sound of neon flickering,# and the idea of a thought flickering away that you can't quite capture or you just, now you forgot# it, and I wanted to be able to convey what that would be like.

And I wanted to bring the humor in# too with those pieces.

So one of the neon signs in the video says, "Put on pants."

Those were just# glorious little moments that I have captured along the way, some of the thoughts that people,# either my father shared or people in memory care facilities or other people that know people that# have dementia or Alzheimer's that shared these with me.

There's one called "Now What?"

Because# that's literally my dad and also literally what he would say.

He'd go, "Now what?"

And we were to# supply the answer as to what was to happen next.

But it was just really funny the way he said it.# And to me, that's a moment now, and he doesn't really do that anymore.

And so I feel like I've# captured that time.

The idea of like turn off the lights, that that's a neon sign, I just like the# idea of this tongue in cheek way of doing that, presenting some humorous thoughts, capturing# the idea of neon and the flickering thought and the flickering moment.

And then some of them also# captured those really tender truths that happened along the way, like specifically with my dad# saying, "I used to have purpose."

And that moment that he told me that, and it's in one of the# memory nests, and that I wanted to keep it safe, In-depth look at the individual# pieces, which will allow you to get I would love for more talks# around the idea of neuro arts and brain health and all of those things.

Let's think now how we can build# a better brain as we get old.

I think it is really important to have it be a# topic of conversation and to activate the space.

Sometime these gallery spaces and museums are# very quiet, and that's a wonderful experience too, but if you can also activate them with language# and sound and laughter or tears or any of those things, I think it's like lightning in a bottle.# I wanted to share the experience and, you know, at the beginning as an artist, I'm just like, "I# hope somebody gets it."

And not only did they get it, but they responded in such a human level.

They# shared stories.

And it's kind of a simple thing, but it's those simple things that can lead to# bigger things and bigger stories and bigger ideas and I think things and textures and color# and people have human responses to those things.