Berna Huebner
Biography
Berna G. Huebner, originally from the Chicago, Illinois area, is a leading advocate for the use of the creative arts to improve the lives of people with Alzheimer’s, a disease for which no cure or preventive measure has yet to be found. In 1999 she co-founded and became Director of the Hilgos Foundation, a community service program affiliated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The Foundation supports and encourages the ongoing process of artistic creation with people who have different forms of dementia including Alzheimer’s. The Hilgos Foundation was established in memory of her mother Hilda Gorenstein, known as Hilgos, an accomplished painter, who suffered from Alzheimer’s.
She also serves as the Director of Programs for the Center of the Study of International Communications in Paris, which works closely with the American University of Paris and other institutions. She was formerly the Director of Research for Nelson Rockefeller when he was Governor of New York and then Vice President.
Most recently French Director Eric Ellena and the Hilgos Foundation Director Berna Huebner completed “I Remember Better When I Paint,” a 56-minute documentary film that demonstrates how creative arts can enhance the quality of life for people with memory impairment.
