Access to art should not be a privilege reserved for people who are healthy, well-off or in work. The Stock Foundation organises art encounters for people whose access to culture is limited by age, health, financial constraints, loneliness, depression or other barriers. Together we explore the world of painting, artists and art history, inviting participants to talk and share their experiences. The meetings spark curiosity, stimulate intellectual activity and help counter loneliness and social exclusion.
How it started
The series grew out of a conviction the foundation has held from the start: art can be a form of therapy, not only entertainment. Instead of bringing people to a museum, we decided to bring the museum to them.
The first meeting took place in 2024 and was devoted to the Kossak family of painters. In 2025 a standing partnership with care homes in Lublin followed, which put the series permanently into their calendars.
Why we run it
Seniors and care-home residents are a group culture barely reaches — the obstacles are health, transport and cost, not a lack of interest.
Each meeting is a conversation rather than a lecture. The curator talks about the paintings, participants ask questions and return to their own memories. That moment is why the series exists.
How it works in practice
The meetings are led by curators and art historians, among them Jolanta Polańska, Barbara Czajkowska and Anna Czajczyk. Topics range from Matejko and Gerson through the Louvre and Versailles to Tamara Łempicka and Adam Chmielowski.
They take place at the National Museum in Lublin, in the care homes on Kosmonautów and Ametystowa streets, at the Support Centres Team, at the city hall and at UrbanLab. In 2025 alone there were 23 meetings attended by more than 700 people.
