An elderly woman with fair skin, straight grey hair, blue eyes and brown freckles holds her thumbs and forefingers together to create a triangle with both hands. She looks through the blurred triangle into the camera.

Joe Wallace, Rene Perkins, 2021; ink on paper, 27 3/4 x 35 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

A black and white photo depicts a fair skin elderly man wearing a baseball cap and collared long sleeve shirt. He looks directly to the camera and holds his hands out in front of him, fingers splayed outward and palms facing the viewer.

Joe Wallace, Pak Hup Tom, 2017; ink on paper, 35 x 35 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

A fair skinned woman with ear length brown hair stands in front of a green bush. She is wearing a light pink long sleeve shirt, blue jeans and brown shoes. Both of her hands rest on the assistive walking frame in front of her.

Joe Wallace, Bama Bradley, 2021; ink on paper, 35 x 27 3/4 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

A fair skinned man with short straight grey hair sits in a wooden chair to the right of the photograph. He is wearing circular black framed glasses, a black long sleeve shirt and blue jeans. On the wall behind him is a desk cluttered with office supply materials and a wall of various framed newspaper articles and magazine front pages.

Joe Wallace, Greg O’Brien, 2020; ink on paper, 35 x 27 3/4 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

A light brown skinned woman with brown eyes looks directly into the camera and softly smiles. She is wearing a black beret, silver dangle earrings and black long sleeved shirt. Her chin rests in her left hand.

Joe Wallace, BJ Fox, 2019; ink on paper, 35 x 27 3/4 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

In this black and white photograph, an elderly, fair skinned woman is pictured with her eyes closed and her brow furrowed.

Joe Wallace, Martha Viola Jordan, 2017; ink on paper, 35 x 27 3/4 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

A fair skinned man with dark brown eyes, brown freckles and grey hair sits at a wooden desk. He is wearing a brown plaid button down. He looks directly into the camera and one hand rests on the table in front of him while the other rests at his left temple.

Joe Wallace, Edwin Bartlett, 2019; ink on paper, 35 x 27 3/4 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

An elderly fair skinned woman with straight ear length grey hair stands in front of a dark purple backdrop. She is wearing a green and purple traditional Chinese dress and a long jade beaded necklace.

Joe Wallace, Helen Tung, 2017; ink on paper, 35 x 27 3/4 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

An elderly fair skinned man wearing a grey long sleeve shirt and black pants sits in a chair to the left of the photograph. On the wall behind him sits a brown wooden dresser and a wall covered in colorful artwork.

Joe Wallace, Arthur Mazman, 2017; ink on paper, 27 3/4 x 35 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

An elderly woman with brown skin, short grey curly hair, and black eyes looks into the camera. She is wearing small gold hoop earrings and is shown in front of a dark black background.

Joe Wallace, Edwina Frank, 2021; ink on paper, 35 x 27 3/4 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

A fair skinned, elderly man with grey hair, a grey beard and blue eyes looks directly into the camera. He is wearing a grey sweater.

Joe Wallace, Richard Wright, 2017; ink on paper, 35 x 35 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

An elderly fair skinned man with grey hair stands in the middle of a sidewalk. He is wearing silver wire-framed glasses, a light blue short-sleeved collared button down, a brown belt, blue jeans and brown shoes. He stands facing the camera with both of his hands behind his back.

Joe Wallace, Tsu-Ming Wu, 2018; ink on paper, 35 x 27 3/4 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

Joe Wallace, Gentle Vandeburgh, 2021; ink on paper, 35 x 27 3/4 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

A fair skinned man with brown eyes and short straight grey hair looks directly into the camera. He is wearing a blue checkered button down shirt.

Joe Wallace, William Foggle, 2019; ink on paper, 35 x 27 3/4 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

Joe Wallace, Carrie Salter-Richardson & Bryan Salter, 2021; ink on paper, 35 x 27 3/4 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

Joe Wallace, Rene Perkins, 2021; ink on paper, 27 3/4 x 35 inches (framed); Courtesy of the artist.

Portraits of Dementia

The typical narrative about dementia is narrow and incomplete, focusing on the clinical diagnosis of an individual and too often depicted using fear, despair, and vulnerability. Portraits of Dementia destigmatizes those living with dementia through moving portraits and stories of lives well lived.

Touring Now, Bookings Available

Security: Limited

$3,600

In-Region Fee

$6,000

Out-of-Region Fee

5 Weeks

Duration

In 2022, over fifty million people are living with dementia globally. In the United States, one in three seniors suffers with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia at the time of their death. And yet despite the millions of individuals and families affected, dementia is often a taboo subject with limited public awareness or discourse. A diagnosis can become a mechanism for segregating those affected from society, making it easy to see only the label instead of the individual.

Portraits of Dementia destigmatizes those living with dementia through moving portraits and stories of lives well lived.

Trained as a journalist, artist Joe Wallace has been a portrait photographer and storyteller for twenty years. Like many, Wallace has a deeply personal connection with dementia. His maternal grandfather and hero, Joe Jenkins, had Alzheimer’s. His maternal grandmother had vascular dementia. And in recent years, his mother has begun her journey with the disease. Wallace was frustrated by the common, one-dimensional narrative of dementia—futility, despair, and loss. These are real and important elements of the dementia journey, but focusing only on the narrowest of views, very little is done to change the stigma of those living with the disease.

Wallace shows not only the fear, loss, and despair, but also the love, connection, dignity, and powerful humanity that always remain—in the subjects, in the care-partners, and in the families and communities. That is the only path to evolve the narrative and have a positive social change.

This exhibition provides opportunities for rich programming and community engagement. Dementia impacts the lives of many people and this exhibition serves as a catalyst for community storytelling, learning, and healing.

Exhibition Details

FEE INCLUDES

Press Kit
Registrar’s Packet
Programming Guide
Gallery Guide
Text Panels
Narrative Labels
Full Insurance
Installation Instructions
Custom-Designed and Built Crates

Curated By

ExhibitsUSA

Organized By

Exhibits USA

part of Mid-America Arts Alliance

Tour Schedule

Portraits of Dementia is touring March 2023 through March 2028. The dates below reflect five-week exhibition periods. Dates are subject to change; please contact MoreArt@maaa.org or (800) 473-3872 x208/209 for current availability.

Jul 5 – Aug 16 2026