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Program Schedule
Next Spark! in-person program at the Gallery:
Tuesday February 3, 2026 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EDT
Next Spark!@Home Virtual program on Zoom:
Monday January 12, 2026 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EDT
Spark! and Spark!@Home are free programs. As space is limited, registration is required.
Please register by email at [email protected], or call 613-990-4888.
SPARK!
On Demand
Looking for ways that your community can experience the Gallery together? Get in touch with us about an onsite SPARK! Program for your group.
Maximum group size: 20 (including individuals living with dementia, and their care partners)
$15 per person (Adults 65+ Group Admission Rate), 1 care partner free per participant. No additional program fee.
Please contact us by email at [email protected], or call 613-990-4888.
About SPARK! and SPARK!@Home
SPARK! (the Gallery’s onsite program) and SPARK!@Home (the Gallery’s virtual program) are for people who enjoy spending time with others as they comfortably connect with art.
Specially trained guides highlight different works of art from the Gallery collection during these interactive programs. Group size is limited, to allow all participants to share ideas, stories, memories and questions.
If you are coming to the Gallery for SPARK!, please check in with us at 1:30 p.m. in the Tour Group Lobby (behind the Boutique) on the date for which you have registered. The SPARK! program lasts 90 minutes.
Learn more about Accessibility at the Gallery here.
If you are joining us for SPARK!@Home, you’ll need a computer, a web camera, and a free Zoom account. To learn more about joining a Zoom meeting, please read this page. Please note that you and your partner can join from different locations. The SPARK!@Home program lasts 60 minutes.
For more information, please email Andrea Gumpert at [email protected].
History
of SPARK!
The SPARK! program was launched in 2016 at the National Gallery of Canada. It was modelled on the Museum of Modern Art’s well-known Meet Me: The MoMA Alzheimer’s Project, as a way of allowing individuals with dementia, and their care partners, to engage with art in a safe, welcoming and social manner.
In collaboration with the Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County (DSORC) – formerly Alzheimer Society Ottawa – Gallery staff and volunteers are trained in dementia inclusivity. SPARK! participants explore and exchange ideas about art, enjoy intellectual stimulation, make connections between personal stories and the world at large, access personal experiences and long-term memories, and participate in meaningful conversations that foster personal growth.
In addition, care partners benefit from art-inspired exchanges with the people in their care, as well as social interaction with others facing similar challenges. All participants are encouraged to experience moments of “wonderment and awe,” as they enjoy a period of respite in an extraordinary space where everyone is respected, included, and engaged.
When Gallery staff were directed to work from home due to the pandemic in mid-March 2020, the virtual SPARK!@Home program was launched. Participants continued to enjoy moments of connection virtually through the Gallery’s works of art, whether they needed to isolate, faced various barriers, or simply lived too far from downtown Ottawa.
Currently, the Gallery is pleased to welcome past and new participants at the Gallery – or virtually, depending on preferences. The SPARK! program is a collaboration with the Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County.
NGC MAGAZINE
Art and Caregiving
Visiting galleries has positive effects on the wellbeing of visitors. SPARK! gives people living with dementia, and their caregivers, opportunities to discuss art and make connections.
