MEMORY ARTS CAFÉ offers free cultural events for people living with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, their caregivers, family members and friends. The Café is co-produced by New York Memory Center in collaboration with area arts groups. Each program features local professional guest artists including musicians, magicians, poets and dancers.
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Memory Arts Café COMMUNITY DANCE PARTY
August 13, 2025
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Dance artists Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi from DanceStream Projects joyfully led a morning of dance, music and celebration commemorating seven months of co-creative connection with our community. Through the Stories in the Moment: Building Connection program, we collaborated through dance and storytelling to establish new connections, amplify a sense of trust, dignity, confidence and purpose, and support growth of dementia inclusive spaces. Aside from a fabulous dance party, the group shared quilt posters created by Chilean artist Macarena Espina Diaz reflecting each community member and staff in a visual way. As Macarena shared: “May these quilts remind us that we are each part of something larger—woven into community, held by one another, and always in motion. We danced, we listened, we created—together!
Top photos: Magda Kaczmarska, left, and party goers. Nuria Rius for DanceStream Projects
Photos left: A big crowd for the party. Presentation of the quilts to the Center. Photos: Ruth Benn.
Past Programs at the Memory Arts Cafe
A special Memory Arts Cafe was held on March 22, 2024, to celebrate the life of Josephine Brown, longtime staff person and former Executive Director of the Center. The evening was recorded, and you can watch it on YouTube. Thank you to Josephine's daughter Sara and Joanna for creating a beautiful program in tribute to their mother.
Presenters included:
Susan Ramos, Chief Operating Officer, NYMC
Sara Brown, Josephine's daughter
Mattia poem by W H Auden
Sydnie Zera (niece) - Prelude to the Sound of Music
Judith Grimaldi, NYMC Board member
Henry Torani, former staff member and friend
Joseph Giambio, NYMC Board President
Deborah Karpel, Center Artist in Residence reads tribute from Ismail Butera, longtime Artist in Resident at NYMC
Michael Brown plays a little guitar in interlude
John Reardon. (nephew) plays guitar and sings Redemption Song, Wild Horses, Heart of Gold, and sing along to Piano Man with Sydnie (who is cut off from video)
Susan reads tribute from caregiver George Schumacher
Sara's friend and "adopted daughter" Nitza “Spritza” Jones adds a tribute
Words from Josephine's husband Michael Brown