Trout Museum of Art
Set in the heart of Wisconsin’s Fox Valley, the Trout Museum of Art (TMA) is a uniquely community-focused organization committed to inspiring and connecting people through creative experiences and the visual arts. The Trout has an innovative gallery design that hosts 12-15 exhibitions each year from local, national, and international artists. It’s also an educational resource providing studio classes and workshops led by professional artists and designed to give adults, teens, and kids opportunities to explore and engage their creativity through art. The Trout also facilitates community engagement through unique neighborhood events like Art at the Park, Finders Keepers (a year-long multi-city art hunt), Artist in Residence, and special partnership programs that create opportunities for people to process personal and emotional challenges through artistic engagement.
Location: Appleton, WI
Grant Amount: $3,500
Grantee: SPARK!, a free engagement art program for adults living with memory loss and their care partners serves 20 participants per session
Art is a vehicle for healing. It helps you tap into the most human part of yourself by thinking creatively, learning, making tools for yourself.
Frankie Gilboa, TMA Development and Stewardship Manager
In 2024, Fox Cares Foundation provided a grant of $3,500 to support SPARK!, a free engagement art program for adults living with memory loss and their care partners. Led by educators trained to work with elderly populations and others experiencing memory loss, SPARK! gives participants a shared visual art experience that engages creativity, heightens mood, and fosters feelings of connection with the world around them. Art projects also give participants a means of communication through self-expression. SPARK! also benefits caregivers by creating a new level of connection with their loved ones, and creating a source of support from others facing similar challenges. The program serves around 20 participants per session, three times per month, with Fox Cares funding covering the costs of the educators, project materials, and refreshments. “We appreciate Fox Cares’ funding,” Gilboa notes, “because it enables us to give people tools to make their memory loss experience less scary and more manageable.”