A Family's Saga Through Genetic Dementia; Public Artist in Residence

When a family of 9 siblings noticed their mother acting strangely, they chalked it up to depression and alcoholism. But after some of the siblings began to exhibit the same behavior, the family learns that they are carriers of a rare gene mutation that causes frontotemporal dementia, and have a 50/50 chance of inheriting the same condition and passing it on to their kids. Journalist and author Robert Kolker tells the story of this family in his new book, The Vanishing Family: Love, Fate, and the Quest to End Dementia.

Alex Strada is the inaugural Public Artist in Residence with the NYC Department of Homeless Services and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. In that role, Strada created a project called Public Address, in which she engaged with New Yorkers living in the shelter system to create logs that compiled their testimony and expression. Some of that testimony has now been created into signs, designed by the Department of Transportation, that have been on view throughout the city in 2026. The installation is now on view at Joyce Kilmer Park in the Bronx, and other components of the projects will be on view at the Bronx Museum on October 9. Strada discusses her role as an artist in city government, and the idea behind the Public Address project.

Image courtesy of the artist

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