Art therapy for the prevention of cognitive decline

•The feasibility of structured art therapy and music reminiscence activity was evaluated in a RCT with N = 68 older adults with MCI.•Older adults receiving art therapy had improvements in memory and attention at 3 months, with sustained improvement in memory after 6 months.•The significant improvement with art therapy, highlights the potential cognitive benefits of structured art therapy in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.