Welcome to the Museum of Love

The Museum of Love develops, collects, preserves and displays items documenting the importance of love in the lives of people with dementia. It was established by Dr Catherine Barrett and launched on Valentine's Day, 2017. At the heart of the Museum is  a process for cultivating love skills, called Small Acts of Love. The Museum has cultivated Bigger Hearts in Ballarat and now has wheels - through LoveFest, which brings the Museum to local communities. Collections include:
​
  • 100 stories: stories about people in Ballarat living with dementia
  • The Kiss: portraits of people with dementia kissing someone they love
  • The Mirror: photos of people with dementia enjoying their lives 
  • Letters of Love: letters about love on film, on paper and in images
  • Pulse of My Heart: a series of films tracing the life and loves of Edie Mayhew
  • Dance: portraits and stories about belonging

Image of Jane and Rob, from The Kiss by Lisa White, The Social Photographer

2018 Human Rights Awards

Proud to be a Human Rights Medal finalist in the 2018 Human Rights Awards.

Contact us

Dr Catherine Barrett
Curator, Museum of Love
Phone: 0429 582 237
Email: director@celebrateageing.com 

Participation & licensing 

We would love to hear from you if you are interested in contributing to the Museum or if you'd like LoveFest to come to your town, city, suburb or community. We also welcome expressions of interest in licensing - please contact us if you would like to undertake or replicate the Museum or any of its exhibits or activities.  Click on the link here for a basic resource on how to utilise the Museum's collections. 

Media

We want to thank the journalists and other media who have covered the Museum of Love. Your stories help us to achieve change. Media coverage sections are included in all the collections - and the following is a list of media relating to the Museum more broadly
  • Exploring dementia and love. HenderCare. 16/1/18. link
The Museum of Love is an initiative of the Celebrate Ageing Program.