Our Story
The Immutable Passion Project (TIPP) began not as a formal initiative, but as a lived experience.
It emerged through the artistic life of Harry Hansen—a lifelong painter, educator, and creative force—during his journey with dementia.
As memory and language began to change, something unexpected remained.
His instinct to create did not disappear.
His sense of self did not vanish.
Through drawing and mark-making, he continued to express, to connect, and to be.
Dementia is often defined by loss—of memory, of function, of identity. But alongside those changes, we saw expression of self. We saw presence. We saw a person still reaching outward through the tools that had always shaped his life.
Art became more than an activity.
It became a way to connect.
A way to access a sense of self when words were no longer reliable. The Immutable Passion Project was created to honor that truth.
TIPP exists to support caregivers, families, and communities in recognizing that expression—and personhood — endures, even as cognition shifts. Through exhibitions, storytelling, and creative engagement, we seek to expand how we see and support those living with dementia.